Worlds Apart
by RachyDoodle
Summary: Vampires are not something you can hide from, no matter how hard you try. When Bella discovers the secret of those she loves the most, will she be able to survive, or will darkness and danger take over? Rated M for language and lemons. Cannon pairings
1. Prologue

_Hello there!_

_Welcome to my newest story 'Worlds Apart'. For those of you who have read my stories before, welcome back. For those of you who are new, welcome, and I hope you enjoy my work._

_Hopefully, this version of the story will work. The url address appeared to be broken on my last upload of this story, but this one should be fine. If any of you are having problems viewing it, just message me to let me know._

_I have been planning this story for a while. The idea came to me whilst I was writing my last story and it kept nagging at me. So I finally decided to put this story into words. I've had it planned for a while so I hope you all enjoy it. I'm quite excited for how it will turn out. _

_This will be like my previous story 'The Heart Asks Pleasure First' in the sense that I will be using a vampire story arc._

_This chapter is merely the prologue. Regular chapters will be longer. _

_So enjoy, and let me know what you think._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight… I'd be richer if I did!_

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

"This is all we have left," my sister Heidi said to me, handing me a small lunch box filled to the brim with food. "Take it with you for your trip, Bella. I'll get more bread at the supermarket tomorrow."

"Thank you," I replied softly, taking the lunch box of sandwiches from her hands and placing in in my bag next to the bottle of water I knew I would need for such a long and arduous journey.

A journey that I was excited for and apprehensive for at the same time...

It was at that moment that my younger sister Jane decided to grace us with her presence. She entered through the front door of our tiny apartment, her arms ladled with shopping bags. Yet Jane was so small it was a miracle that she could even carry such a weight! Noticing her struggle, I quickly ran to her, took the bags from her, and placed them upon the table in the middle of our small living room. Heidi would sort through them later.

Our apartment was not up to much, but it was home all the same. It consisted of a small living room complete with a tiny kitchen, and three bedrooms - one for my father, one for Heidi and a smaller one which I shared with Jane. Ever since my father had quit work, the only money we had coming in was Heidi's. She worked full time at Wall-Mart, and since the money had to support all four of us, the apartment was all we could afford. It was basic and simplistic, but what it lacked in grandeur, it made up for in warmth. My family did not have much, but we were grateful for what we did have, and we made the best of our situation.

"How long will your trip take you?" Jane asked as I proceeded to pack my bag, placing in the necessities. Cell phone, music player, compact mirror. Jane was 9 years old and as curious as ever.

"I'm not sure," I answered thoughtfully. "A few hours perhaps. Forks is a far place from Phoenix, Jane."

"It is," replied Heidi, my older sister, always the picture of authority. "Which is why you should hurry up. The plane won't wait for you, Bella, and the taxi will be here any second."

"You're right, it won't," I said, hurrying to my feet. "Let me say goodbye to dad and I'll be ready."

"Can I drive with you to the airport?" asked Jane hopefully.

"You can't, Jane," I sorrowfully, wanting to spend as many last moments with my sisters as possible. After today, I was not sure when my next opportunity to see them or my father would be.

At 20 years of age, I had finally decided to do something with my life. It had been a long time coming, but my future was now set in stone. After years of working hard at school and college, I had finally finished my training and got all the qualifications I needed.

I was going to become a nanny.

I'd always loved children, a passion further expanded by the fact that Heidi and I had practically raised Jane after our mother died. My love of caring for the young had been awakened from then on and I knew what I wanted to do with my life. Apart from having children of my own one day, I wanted to open my own daycare centre. But that dream was way off, I was only 20 after all. I had a whole life ahead of me yet.

But with a combination of raising Jane and looking after Charlie when he became ill, my situation was not ideal. But I refused to give up on academics. I was glad of my stubborn attitude. I was now fully learned and able to make use of all that I had been taught. With my father's reluctant permission, I had advertised a few months ago, giving my services as a nanny in order to not only make more money for my family, but to see more of the world and live a new way of life. Tired of always moving from job to job from one week till the next, I hoped for a speedy reply to my advertisement.

God must have looked own upon my sorry situation as a few weeks later I received a reply from the Cullen family of Forks, Washington. In exchange for living arrangements, food, and a steady wage, I would give my services to their 12 year old daughter until a time when she did not have need of them anymore, and housekeep occasionally.

I wasn't exactly sure why a 12 year old would need a nanny considering my profession usually worked with much younger children, but I wasn't complaining. The money was good and I needed it desperately, so I wasn't going to turn the job down. If 12 year old Alice thought she needed a nanny, then I would be that nanny!

I was reluctant to accept at first, after all, Washington is a far place from my small Arizona home. The two places could not have been more different. I had done some internet research and realized that the two places were like chalk and cheese. One was hot, the other was cold. One was dry, the other had non-stop rainfall for most of the year... One had my family, the other didn't.

But after much thought and deliberation, I decided to accept, the prospect of a new home and life much more exciting than the prospect of working temporary jobs all day long.

So that was where I was to go. I would live in Forks, in the Cullen home in order to look after 12 year old Alice Cullen and show her everything I knew.

I hurried into my father's room, finding him in his usual position, lying in his bed, the blanket tucking him in slightly at all sides. He was growing paler, his eyes not the sparkling orbs they once were. Yet, you would not tell his suffering from the smile on his face. Even though my father knew he was desperately ill, he was always as happy and as cheerful as ever.

"Is that you, Bella?" he asked as I approached his bedside.

"Yes, it's me, dad," I replied. I knelt at his side and took his weary hands in mine.

His eyes cast over my face, taking me in one last time. "I assume you're going now."

"Just waiting for the taxi," I answered, the tears prickling my eyes. I hated leaving my family, especially with my father in the condition that he was, but then my mind would cast back to the money my new job would make - money that would benefit my family immensely. The idea of money and a better life for my father and sisters always won out. They needed money more than they needed me.

"Do you have to go?" he asked me, but I could tell from his face that he was merely joking. It was true that my father wanted me to remain at home, after all, there isn't a single parent who does not weep when their child flies the nest for the first time. But my father knew we needed money, and he knew that this was something that I wanted to do. So he let me go.

"I'm afraid so, dad," I replied, brushing his falling hair from his forehead. "But I promise to make plenty money. I will have you out of this bed and healthy in no time."

My father had pneumonia. He used to be Chief of Police and he been a good one at that. We earned so much money and life had been amazing. Then mom died giving birth to Jane and dad never really recovered. It broke him completely and he quit work. He became a shadow of what he once was, his usual smile gone forever. He drank a lot and cried every night, becoming someone completely different. The only reason he stayed sane was for me and my sisters. Even though mom was gone, we weren't, and he knew we needed him more than ever.

But the pain became worse for him and he became ill. Desperately ill. We had tried everything in order for him to recover, but the doctor had told us it was all no good, the illness was too far gone. All we could do was assure that we kept him comfy and happy until the very end. It broke my heart that there was nothing to do for him, so earning as much money as I could would ensure that his last few months or years were the best that he could possibly have.

He needed to be happy and I would make sure that he was.

He brushed the back of my small hands with his thumb, his fatherly affection fully proven. "You're a good girl, Bella."

I smiled at my father, gazing across his face, getting one final good look before I left him. "I'll miss you, dad."

"I will miss you too, sweetheart," he replied, mustering a smile. My father did not have a great deal to smile about these days, so a smile from him was always a good sign. "So hurry away. The quicker you leave, the quicker you may return to us."

He began to cough heavily, the condition aggravating his lungs, so I gave him water to calm him down. It worked quickly had he was able to lie back calmly once again.

"I love you, daddy," I whispered as I stood up, tears prickling my sad eyes. I bent down and kissed his forehead lovingly. I left the room then, my spirits slightly less high. I did not know when I would see my father again, if ever. I just wanted him happy and well. It was all a daughter could ask for.

I entered the main part of our house just as Heidi closed my bag up for me. She buckled it up tightly and handed it to me, a warm yet sad smile gracing her lips. "Are you all ready?" she asked me.

I nodded, nervous butterflies fluttering through my stomach. Yes, I was ready, and I was excited too, but it still didn't stop the frightened feeling gathering in the back of my mind. I had never left home before. I'd always had my father and my sisters around me to keep me company. But I wanted to fly the nest. The nerves just added to the experience.

"Please can I go with her?" Jane asked sweetly.

"Jane we aren't going," Heidi said sternly.

A look of confusion appeared swiftly upon my face. "I thought _you _were coming to the airport to see me off."

"I wish I could," she said sadly. "But I need to stay with dad. I daren't leave him alone."

I nodded in agreement. Charlie needed someone to care for him at all times. I supposed being alone would have to do. It wasn't the farewell party I was expecting, but I knew it was for the best in the long run.

I pulled on my jacket and pulled my bag on top of my suitcase which was standing by the front door. It was quite large and heavy; I was thankful for the taxi and plane to be carrying it the whole way. The doorbell rang, indicating that my ride had arrived.

"Well then," I began, tears fighting their way through my eyes. "I suppose this is goodbye for now."

I was suddenly encased in a hug as Heidi pulled me too her. I hugged her back, embracing my older sister for the last time.

"Take care, Bella," she sobbed into my shoulder.

"I will," I answered back as I pulled away from the hug. My sister's eyes were rather red and puffy.

"And don't forget to phone everyday," she quickly added.

"I promise," I smiled.

"And if they're horrible to you, just tell me. You're only a plane ride away and I'll make sure they know never to hurt my little sister. I can be there in a few hours."

"I will," I said, knowing the threat was empty. No matter what was happening to me, Heidi wouldn't leave Charlie. Not ever, and I accepted this. Charlie came first. "Love you, Heidi."

"Love you too, Bella," Heidi replied as she quickly hugged me again. Next I turned to Jane and saw the tears cascading down her face.

"Oh, Jane," I said softly. "Don't cry."

"I can't help it," she replied. "I wish you didn't have to go."

I sighed. "Just think of how much better you can live with all the money I will send you."

Jane sniffed her nose. "I suppose."

"And as soon as we are financially stable and we have plenty money, I will return home, I promise."

"I'll miss you," she said to me.

"I will miss you too," I told her. "But I need someone to look after dad whilst I'm gone."

"Miss, we are ready when you are," the driver quickly interjected. I hadn't even noticed him come up to the apartment until his voice rang out. I nodded at him and turned back to Jane.

"I will look after daddy. I promise," she told me.

I kissed her on the forehead before standing up. I waved a final goodbye and quickly hurried downstairs with the driver until we reached the taxi.

I introduced myself to the driver, a man of no older than 30, who quickly took my bag from me and proceeded to load it up on the back of my taxi. No sooner was it done did I open the car door and slide in. I buckled up my seatbelt, leaned back into my seat and let out a breath. The car pulled away as I took one last glance up at my old home, wondering when I'd ever see it again.

So this was it. I had left my home. I had left my family. I had essentially left my entire life, all to go to Washington to take care of Alice Cullen and occasionally housekeep for her family. I sighed as I closed my eyes as a cold shiver slowly made its way up my spine.

I sure hoped it was all worth it.


	2. Home

_Hi there._

_A massive thanks to sujari6, GAjujubee, beccat420, Cina's, Snusa, Sunshine72, secretobsession7, Coleen561, Natalie51, lionlambnatz, teamedwardtwilightfan and MacNNcheese95 for reviewing the original post of the last chapter._

_So here is the next chapter of the story. I hope you're all enjoying it so far. Please stick with it, I'm very excited about this story. I think it's going to be a good one..._

_Also, incase anyone out there was wondering, this story will be split between Bella's point of view, and Edward's point of view. I missed writing as Edward in my last story, so I've decided to go back to him for this one. I will indicate at the top of each chapter whose point of view it is (:_

_This chapter is named after "Home" by Michael Buble. I have a bit of a crush on this man, he's amazing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Damn!_

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

After getting off the plane, my second car journey of the day was rather silent, nerves and anticipation weighing heavy on my mind and body.

Forks was just as I had been told. Cold, wet, and in no way like Phoenix. Just like Dorothy, I knew I wasn't in Kansas any more. The rain poured, hitting the car with force, the noise deafening. In all my years in Phoenix, I could probably count on one hand the times I had seen rain. It seemed I was getting a lifetime's amount all at once now. I pulled my coat tighter around me.

The chill was the most surprising. I mean, I knew it was going to be cold, but I wasn't expecting the low temperature that I was currently feeling. Sunny Phoenix meant t-shirts... shorts... skirts. I'd only ever owned one coat in my entire life because I had simply never needed one. Now I knew I'd need to buy one for each day of the week!

Washington really was the exact opposite of Arizona.

The car journey was long, the driver saying very little to me. He was a young man with a handsome face and russet colored skin. His hair was short and dark, just like his eyes. His lack of conversation was just adding to the nerves, making this whole thing a lot harder. My stomach would start doing summersaults soon.

Needing some form of home comfort right now, I pulled out my cell phone and gave Heidi a call. She answered on the second ring.

"Hello, Swan residents," came her crystal clear voice. My cold body was warmed already.

"Hey, Heidi. It's me," I answered back. Her cool, calm and collected formal tone totally changed.

"Bella! Oh my goodness. How is everything? How was the plane journey? When did you land? How's Washington?Is that family being nice to you?"

I quickly interjected, realizing I would get a word in if I didn't. "Everything's fine," I answered. "The plane journey was pleasant enough, I'm not at the house yet, and Forks is… well… rainy."

"Rainy? Sounds fun." I could hear her smile through the phone. "Still sure you don't want to come home yet?"

"Heidi, I haven't even been gone a day. Let me give this place a chance," I grinned.

"Fine," she harrumphed. "I suppose it deserves a chance. I hope you come home soon though."

"As soon as the Cullens don't need me anymore, I'll be on the first plane back," I promised.

"Alright," Heidi replied. "I better go anyway, dinner's almost done and Jane won't stop nagging me for food."

"Ok," I replied, clearly seeing that she was in no position for a phonecall at the minute. "I'll phone later on tonight."

"Love you, Bells."

"Love you too, Heidi." And with that, I hung up. I slipped my phone back into my bag and settled back into my seat again, watching the rain cascade down the windows as the car edged ever nearer to my new home.

My mind began to wonder, falling suddenly upon the Cullens - my new housemates as such.

I knew the basics. After all, I wouldn't go to a home where I didn't know the people. For the past few weeks, I'd exchanged letters, phone calls and emails with Mrs. Esme Cullen, Alice's mother. Her husband, Carlisle, was a doctor at Forks hospital. His wages, on top of the money Esme earned as an interior designer meant that the family was extremely well off. The couple had two sons too, older than Alice. There was Edward Cullen and Emmett Cullen. There was also Emmett's fiancée too. Rosalie, I think Esme said her name was.

The family seemed pleasant enough from what I'd heard, but I had to wonder why a family as rich as the Cullens had decided to live in such a small and dreary town as Forks. A family of their wealth could surely afford a place in up-town Seattle, or somewhere with better weather even. The rain had get annoying after a while.

I didn't question their motives though, same way as I didn't question the fact that I was going to nanny a 12 year old girl, practically a teenager. The Cullens seemed happy enough with their lives and decisions, so who was I to come along and stick my nose in? I was the help, that's it. As long as they paid me money, I would not say a word and they could do whatever they liked.

_Each to their own I suppose._

The car journey alone explained the wealth of the family. I wasn't in some cheap taxi like I'd expected to be in; I was in a Mercedes, smooth and shiny and sleek. The driver wasn't a taxi driver either, he was one of the Cullen's chauffeurs. He had picked me up from the airport, the amazing car in tow.

_They have a chauffeur! Like I said, completely loaded!_

I had to wonder what I was getting myself into.

"Cheer up, it might never happen," came the driver's voice. I looked up from gazing out of the window and saw him staring at me through the windscreen mirror. I mustered a smile.

"Sorry," I said. "I'm just a little nervous I guess."

"Don't be," he told me. "The Cullens are a nice family. They've always welcomed me, and nobody ever has a bad word to say about them."

Well that sounded good. "They are nice, from what I've heard. That's helped my nerves a little I suppose."

"Let me guess, this is your first proper job, right? And you're nervous to leave home?"

I looked at his reflection wide eyed. "How… How did you know that?"

"Because you're acting just like I was 2 years ago."

"And how did you find it all?" I asked curiously, eager to hear an outside opinion.

"The place felt like home within a week. Trust me, you'll settle in fine."

I was glad of the reassurance.

"Thanks… um… what was your name?" I asked.

"Jacob," he replied with a shiny smile. "Jacob Black."

"Isabella Swan," I replied sweetly. "But most people call me Bella."

"Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you, Bella," he answered, his face and voice kind and friendly. I felt better about the whole thing already.

I'd never struggled to make friends throughout my life, I'd always been a rather sociable person. I knew who my friends were and I knew who weren't. I was getting a friendship vibe from Jacob. I didn't know if it was just nerves or whether I was latching onto the first person who'd given me the time of day in this lonely place, but I felt a friendship forming…

I was silent for the rest of the journey, the nervous feelings dissipating somewhat. Forks seemed pleasant enough. It was quiet and quaint. I found it quite relaxing really. I supposed that once I could get past the weather, I might actually enjoy the place. The one thing I did notice, and honestly quite like, was how green the place seemed. Phoenix was primarily yellow and sandy, the heat allowing very little in the way of greenery. The pureness of the color was shocking to the eyes, yet magical to look at. I'd never seen leaves like them. So healthy and fresh. I could not deny the beauty of what I looked at.

All too soon, the car turned up a driveway - well, I say driveway, it was more like a dirt track or a nature trail. It took us deep into the wet forest, weaving through the trees until a house came into sight just above the branches.

_Holy hell!_

My jaw physically dropped.

I wasn't going to be working in a house, no way. It was a freakin' mansion! It was the only way to physically describe the building I saw. Beautiful was too weak a word to describe it. It was pure perfection, like something from a fairytale. I knew the Cullens were rich, but bloody hell! Now I knew why my salary was so good. They could easily afford it.

I heard Jacob chuckle as we pulled up to the front of the house. He must have seen my shocked reaction from the mirror. I quickly closed my jaw and composed myself, a little embarrassed.

"Don't worry," he said. "Everybody has the same reaction."

Jacob cut the engine, got out of the car, and came around to open my door. He was waiting for me, an umbrella open above his head to protect me from the falling rain.

_He opens the door! How polite!_

I had to wonder if he was being a gentleman or if doing this was just in the chauffeur job description. Either way, I was glad for his presence and the umbrella's. I stepped out of the car and hurried under the umbrella for protection. Jacob closed my door and headed me up to the front door. The door was huge! It was tall and white with a shining golden doorknob that was just waiting to be touched.

We had no need to ring the doorbell as, no sooner did we reach the door did it swing open and reveal a woman, a kind smile gracing her lips. She must have seen us coming. She was tall and slim and ridiculously beautiful. I was surprised by how young the woman looked considering I'd heard that she had children my own age. She must have had a good plastic surgeon or something! Her hair hung in soft caramel curls around her shoulders and her eyes shone the most rich color of gold.

_Hang on… gold?_

"Isabella! Welcome," she said to me, her greeting warm. Her voice rang like bells.

"Mrs. Cullen?" I asked, trying to get my bearings.

"Yes. A pleasure to meet you," she said. She offered me her hand which I shook. It was unusually cold. "Come inside, sweetheart. Lets not leave you out there to get wet. Jacob will bring in your bags."

I hurried in out of the rain whilst Esme closed the door behind me. My jaw hit the floor once again. If I thought the outside looked amazing, then the inside looked absolutely stunning.

The walls were tall and smooth, a pale cream color covering them. The carpets were soft and white and fluffy, the kind of carpet that you would love to run your bare feet through. Paintings and pictures hung at intervals along the walls, giving the place a regal air of authority. A large stunning staircase led to the upstairs portion of the house. God, this place was something of dreams!

"This way, sweetheart," said Esme, breaking me from my thoughts. She led me into a large living room. The decorating was much the same as the large foyer I had recently been in, but the furniture differed. A large leather sofa complete with two large leather loveseats filled the room. A glass coffee table sat in the middle whilst a roaring marble fireplace took pride of place at a feature wall. Cabinets of ornaments were dotted here and there, and finally, a large TV was perched in full few. The plasma screen was massive, surely it had to be a 50 inch television.

"Wow," I said, no longer able to hide my true reaction.

"Designed the place myself," Esme beamed proudly. Ah, yes, of course. Esme had told me she was an interior designer. And from the look of the house, she was a bloody good one! The place was perfect.

"It's beautiful," I said as I took a seat on the sofa.

"Why, thank you, Isabella," Esme said kindly.

"You're welcome. Oh, and it's Bella."

"Of course, Bella. Would you like anything to drink? Tea? Coffee?"

"I'll have a coffee please," I answered. "With milk."

"Coming right up," Esme smiled as she disappeared into the kitchen. I liked Esme already!

I took that moment to lean back into me seat, rest my head… and pinch myself.

This place was… it was… well, the only way I could describe it was as freakin' awesome! I had never been in such an amazing place in all my life and I had only seen the foyer and the living room so far. I was beyond excited to see the rest of the house. And I was going to be living in this house! I'd actually be staying here, free of charge. Sure, I'd be taking care of Alice for most of the time, but it didn't seem like such a chore or a job if this was where I would be working.

Compared to my home in Phoenix, this place was paradise personified. It was the kind of house you see on MTV Cribs or something. It was truly a sight to behold.

Esme finally returned, a steaming hot mug of coffee in her hands. I took it from her and burnt my hand immediately. I quickly placed it on the coffee table to cool. Esme hadn't batted an eyelid at the temperature. She took the seat across from mine and turned her body to face me. She did not have a drink.

"So, how was your journey?" she began. "I trust your plane ride was alright?"

"Oh, yes," I smiled, hoping to make a good and polite impression. I would be staying here for a while, so it was a good idea to get her good books now. "I've never been on a plane before, so it was quite an experience."

"And you had no problems finding Jacob when you landed?"

"No," I replied. "I found him right away."

"Well that's good. I've told him to take your suitcase and your bags to your room, so they're ready for you whenever you want to unpack."

"Thank you," I answered, finally picking up my coffee and taking a sip. It was perfect.

"Would you like to unpack now or would you like to meet Alice first?" she asked. "Alice is very excited to meet you."

"I would love to meet her," I grinned. "Where is she?"

"I'll just go get her," Esme said, standing up. She entered the foyer, moving with perfect poise and grace, and called Alice from the bottom of the stairs. After a few brief moments, I heard footsteps descending the stairs and Esme re-entered the living room. She wasn't alone.

Alice Cullen skipped into the room, a smile on her face as bright as sunshine. She reeked of adorability. She seemed quite short for a 12 year old, she could not have been any taller than Jane and she was only 9. Alice was pixie-like in her appearance, her body petite and her short dark hair framing her face beautifully. Her eyes were bright blue, almost like ice.

"Hi," she said in a sweet voice. "You must be Isabella. I'm Alice." She held her hand out for me to take.

I put my coffee on the table and shook her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Alice," I smiled.

The handshake suddenly turned into a hug as she leapt at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. She was a girl who clearly showed her feelings. "Oh, I'm so excited to meet you. We're going to have so much fun whilst you're here. We'll do make-overs and have slumber parties. I have some new straightners so we can do your hair. I love your hair by the way, and we can-"

"Hey, slow down, Pixie. Don't give the girl a heart attack before she's even spent the night here!" came a booming voice.

I managed to turn my head to see who the voice belonged to and found a man standing there. He was tall and muscular, his hair brown and curly, his eyes the same golden color as Esme's. Next to him stood what I could only describe as a beautiful blond supermodel. Her hair hung over her shoulders in waves, her face was perfection and her boobs were massive! Her eyes were golden too.

_What's with this family? They're all ridiculously beautiful! I feel like a plain Jane!_

I knew who they were from all the emails I had received. Emmett and Rosalie.

"I wasn't going to kill her, dummy. I was just saying hello," Alice chimed as she pulled away from the hug. She took a seat beside me.

"Sure, Alice," Emmett grinned. "And you must Bella, the new nanny."

"Yes," I smiled. "And you must be Emmett."

"The one and only!" he boasted, earning a giggle from Alice.

Rosalie just rolled her eyes at Emmett's childishness. "Pleasure to meet you," she smiled at me. "I'm Rosalie."

"Nice to meet you too," I answered, glad that introductions were finally out of the way.

The Cullens seemed nice enough in my opinion. They had all been friendly and welcoming, and I couldn't think of a bad word to say about them so far. I liked them already. But I was certain that Esme had said there was more in the family than this. Almost as if hearing my thoughts, Esme spoke.

"Carlisle will be home later on tonight. He usually works late on a Friday."

"Oh, right," I said. Carlisle was Esme's husband, Alice's father.

"And Jasper will be coming soon. He phoned me last night and said he will be here in a few weeks," Alice quickly interjected. A profuse blush spread across her cheeks.

"Who is Jasper?" I enquired.

"A family friend," Esme answered.

"Who Alice has a crush on," Emmett finished.

"No I don't," Alice shouted, but her blush grew even brighter, clearly giving her true feelings away. "Shut up, Emmett!"

"Alice and Jasper, sitting in a tree," he began to sing, causing Alice to stand up and begin chasing him with fury. They disappeared somewhere, Alice angry and Emmett laughing all the way. It was quite an odd scene to watch really, but I didn't know what amused me the most. To see someone as small as Alice chasing someone as big as Emmett, or hearing such a loud battle cry from such a tiny person. For a pixie, Alice sure had a loud mouth!

"I'm not sure which one is the 12 year old sometimes," Rosalie said, sitting down. "By god, I love that man, but sometimes he really needs to grow up."

I smiled at her observation, bringing my coffee cup to my lips once again.

"Edward phoned earlier by the way," Esme quickly said, starting a conversation. "He'll be home on Sunday morning."

Ah, yes. Edward. I knew there was somebody I'd forgotten. Esme had mentioned him in her emails too. He attended the University of Seattle and studied music, just like Emmett had a few years previous. From what I knew, he was the middle child of the family.

_Hey, just like me! _

"That's good," observed Rosalie. "I haven't seen old Eddy boy in a while."

"I know," smiled Esme as her mind seemed to wonder. It would seem that she missed her son whilst he was away studying. I could tell from her glistening eyes and content smile as she thought about him that she loved her children. She seemed like the kind of woman who completely adored her family and I liked that in a person.

And it wasn't till Emmett and Alice re-entered the living room, Alice punching the hell out of Emmett, that I realized the Cullens were growing on me more and more each minute.

xXx

Just as Esme had told me, Carlisle returned home that evening at around 10pm. He was a tall man with blonde hair and a very handsome face. He reeked of authority from the moment he entered the house, clearly showing that he was the head of this family. I did notice as Esme kissed him in welcome that he too had golden eyes. The color was beautiful and yet strange at the same time. I'd never seen people with an eye color like it. It must have been a gene or something that ran in the family.

_But Alice has blue eyes…_

Yeah, my sub-conscious was right. Strange.

I thought nothing of it as Carlisle entered the house and greeted me. He seemed a kind man, full of love and compassion, especially towards his wife. He would look at her like she was the only thing in his world.

I had a short tour of the house after Carlisle returned. Esme showed me everything - the massive kitchen, the beautiful dining room, the several living rooms (who needs several living rooms?), the garage full of cars, a music room which stored a gorgeous grand piano, the stunning bathrooms. They were all amazing and Esme had clearly put effort into their decoration. But the final room she showed me was my favorite. The library. It wasn't a massive library like you find in the cities or at a school. It was quite small, about the size of a living room, but the walls were covered in shelves of books. I immediately fell in love with the room and I knew I would be visiting it a few times during my stay. The tour was soon finished and we proceeded back down stairs.

After Alice and I ate - the rest of the family declining food due to lack of hunger - the pixie proceeded to show me my room. She took me up the tall staircase and along a corridor, finally reaching my room at the very end.

"This is your room," she told me. "Mine's next door and that's Edward's across the way." I glanced at the door opposite mine.

She opened my bedroom door for me and we both entered.

Compared to my room at home, this bedroom was like a house in itself! I had a huge double bed, wardrobes, dressing tables, mirrors, even a plasma screen TV! This was definitely better than my room back home which I had to share with my 9 year old sister. It was very plainly decorated since Esme did not know my tastes in decorating. A gentle lilac color colored the walls, matching the lilac bed spread. The carpet was a soft cream and felt amazing between my toes. You could tell it was brand new. I noticed my suitcases already standing to attention by my bed.

"So, do you like it?" Alice asked.

"I do, it's lovely," I told her, sitting on the bed. It felt like heaven.

"Well, mom said she'll go over your work duties and everything tomorrow. She said you should settle in first," Alice told me.

I was grateful for this. After traveling all day, the last thing I wanted to do was go over my work. I just wanted to relax and rest. I could hear the bed calling me already and I knew my body was tired. I had a feeling that the second my head hit the pillow, I'd be out like a light.

"Well, I'm going to hit the sack too. See you tomorrow, Bella," Alice chimed. She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and left the room.

After texting Heidi to say goodnight and after kicking my shoes off, I walked over to my suitcase to find some night clothes. I pulled out the first thing I could - an old t-shirt. Dying for some sleep, I took my clothes off, but kept my underwear on, and slipped on the t-shirt. My eyes were drooping as I got under the covers.

Today had been… well… hectic to say the least… and exciting. The house was just amazing; I couldn't seriously believe I would be living here. I was seriously waiting to wake up from some dream or something. But the house want the best part, it was the people. I'd been a bit apprehensive at first about the family. I mean what if they didn't like me or I didn't like them. It could have been the job from hell!

But it wasn't.

They were some of the most wonderful people I had ever met and I like them instantly. And I hadn't even met all of them yet; I had still not had the pleasure of meeting Edward Cullen. But I would soon. Sunday apparently was when he was coming and I was somewhat excited. I just hoped he was as nice as the rest of his family.

But these thoughts left my mind as quickly as they had entered them because, as soon as my head touched the soft pillow below me, I fell into a restful and deep sleep.


	3. Blood

_Hello there!_

_A huge thanks to Cina's, Snusa, StormRain0904, secretobsession7, Hulachowdown, sujari6, animesnob034, teamedwardtwilightfan, lionlambnatz, JennWen, adriana'elizabeeth'marie, and Natalie51 for their reviews. Thank you!_

_Well, it seems this url address is working a lot better than the last one, so that's a good start. If anyone is still having problems, all I can suggest is trying the link again later on, and to continue trying. It will work eventually, I promise (: _

_Anyways, I hope you all like this chapter. Lets get into Edward's head, shall we?_

_As ever, let me know what you think…_

_This chapter is named after 'Blood' by The Editors. Awesome band, awesome song. I saw these guys in concert a few years back and they were fantastic. I truly would recommend this band._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight… but I want it so much!_

* * *

Edward Cullen's Point of View

I'd always enjoyed the long drive into Forks, especially on a quite Sunday morning. The colors of the trees, the smell of the rain, the quietness of the small place. Whenever I passed the 'Welcome to Forks' sign, I always knew I'd come home.

I loved Forks. It was as simple as that.

I loved the weather, the people, the quaintness of the rainiest town in the Olympic Peninsula. I'd liked the snow of Alaska, but I loved the rain of Forks. I'd always preferred dull weather, even in my human life all those years ago. I loved the sound of the rain, the feel of it, the coolness of it. So to me, Forks was perfect.

Seattle was nice too, but it was far too busy. There were too many people, all running around in a frenzy to get to work, or to go shopping, or to just get somewhere. I'd take the quietness of Forks rather than the hustle and bustle of Seattle any day. But I wanted to major in music, something I'd never thought about before in my 109 years on this earth, and Seattle University was the only place that would allow me to do that.

Well, that wasn't the truth per se. I mean, any university on the planet would allow me the opportunity to study music, but only Seattle had the correct… setting. I needed rain, I needed clouds, I needed the dullness that Washington weather offered. I had to avoid sunshine at all costs, especially in a place with so many people.

It was one of the many curses of being what I was. Not many people would take kindly to you sparkling in the sun, so Seattle University was where I went.

But now, summer break had finally reared its head (though, you wouldn't tell it's summer from the rain), and I was finally on my way back to Forks. I couldn't wait.

I'd missed home, but I'd missed my family the most. I'd missed Emmett's pranks, I'd missed Alice's girliness, I'd missed Jasper's welcome company, I'd missed Esme's kindness, I'd missed Carlisle's compassion and conversation, I'd missed Rosalie's… well, I hadn't missed Rosalie an awful lot and I doubted she'd missed me either. It wasn't that we disliked each other, it was just that we didn't always get along that well. But I'd missed them all in their own individual ways, so I couldn't wait to see them all again.

Yes, driving through Forks truly was like coming home again. Through all the places we had lived - Alaska, England, Italy, France - Forks was the one place that I belonged.

The Volvo drove at speed down the road as rain battered off the windows. Even the rain couldn't stop this car from moving! The windscreen wipers were working at full, getting rid of the wet weather that lashed at my car. I didn't need to put them on really. With vision like mine, I could see through the rain easily. Like I said, one of the many curses of being what I was…

Impeccable vision, sparkling in the sunlight, amazing speed, superhuman strength, a reliance on blood, and that wasn't the half of it. They may seem like amazing traits for someone to have, but after 100 years of carrying round such characteristics, it begins to weigh you down. Immortality wasn't all that it was cracked up to be, far from it. The worst thing of all was the mind reading. Oh, the mind reading. The one thing that made me feel truly inhuman.

It was awesome at first. I could hear absolutely everything and anything that people were thinking. I loved it, especially when I could creep people out with it. I was a right nosey bastard during the first few years, but then it became a burden. After a while, I didn't want to hear a million thoughts at once, I only wanted to hear one - my own. But no. Every minute of every day, all I could hear was the stupid and pathetic thoughts of the people around me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

I hated it and I still do.

I didn't want all of this, I didn't want to be a vampire. But I was, and there was fuck all I could do about it now.

I turned the car up the oh-so familiar driveway up to the house. I navigated my way through the trees, the pathway muddy due to the falling rain, until the house was finally in sight. A small smile crept onto my lips; it was just as I had remembered it. Tall and white with a painted wooden porch and a gravel drive for the cars to park. The garage was round the side of my house complete with all of our cars.

Jacob, our chauffeur drove most of them, but I preferred to drive myself. It wasn't that I was a motor-head or independent, it was a case of nobody touches my Volvo! Thing was, I liked my Volvo, but it was nothing compared to my Aston Martin DB9. It was parked nicely in the garage and I couldn't wait to take it for a spin. I'd missed my baby.

I stopped the car once I'd reached the house and quickly cut the engine. I closed my eyes, searching the area for any thoughts. Perhaps Jacob was in the garage or Esme was gardening. Nope. There was nothing. Everybody was either out for the day, or inside.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and stepped out of the car, running up to the door so fast that only a few drops of rain caught me. I left my bags in the car, I could get them later on. Pulling my key out of my pocket, I inserted it into the lock and opened the door with a click. I stepped into the warm house, shutting the door behind me.

The foyer was completely empty. It was not the welcome party I was expecting.

The place was deserted, nobody in sight. I couldn't even hear Emmett's booming voice or Alice's feminine giggles ringing through the house. Surely everybody couldn't be out. I'd phoned Esme only Friday afternoon to tell her I would be here Sunday morning sharp. They were vampires, they wouldn't have forgotten. Securing my key safely in my pocket, I began searching the house for any sign of life.

I walked into the living room first, figuring that if my family were anywhere, that would be the first place they'd be. I was wrong. The room was empty, though the fire was flaring, casting off a comforting heat. I left the living room and went to check the kitchen for Alice.

I missed little Alice whilst I'd been at university. Alice was different from the rest of us. She wasn't a vampire in the slightest. She was as human as the day she had been born. When she was 6, she and her parents had been involved in a car crash. Her father had been pronounced dead at the scene, but Alice and her mother had been brought into Forks hospital. Alice was lucky Carlisle had been working that night. The little pixie escaped with only a few cuts and bruises thanks to his hard work. Sadly, her mother died after a few days from internal bleeding.

With no known living relatives left, Alice was left alone. She was to be taken into care, but my vampiric father had different idea's. Carlisle, who had become attached to the girl, had decided to take her in himself and adopt her. And now, 6 years later, she was one of the family and we all loved her as if we'd known her since the very beginning.

So, since Alice was the only human in our family, she was the only one who used the kitchen. I gazed around the room when I reached it. Nobody in there either. I left the kitchen with confusion etched onto my face. Where the fuck was everybody? I didn't get it. I walked down the hallway in the hope of coming across someone's thoughts. If I couldn't see anyone, perhaps I could hear them.

And then I heard something. It wasn't thoughts, it was a steady heartbeat. Strange, if there was a heartbeat, there should be thoughts. Every living thing with a heartbeat had the ability to think, right? I quickly located the door that the sound was coming from. It was a small living room we had at the back of the house. It was little and homely, with white French doors that opened up to the large back garden. Carlisle liked to spend time in this room, but Carlisle didn't have a heartbeat, did he?

I placed my hand on the door knob and slowly turned it. My curiosity was getting the best of me. They say that curiosity killed the cat. I couldn't be killed, I was a vampire. That ship had sailed long ago.

I opened the door and peaked my head inside. My eyes widened with what they saw.

There, curled up on the sofa, a book in hand and eyes closed tightly in sleep was what I could only describe as… well, an angel.

She was human, her heartbeat told me that. Her long brown hair hung over her shoulders as her chest rose and fell slowly in sleep. Her face, though pale and slim, was ridiculously beautiful. She had a button nose and thin pink lips. She had freckles dotted here and there and her eyelashes created glorious shadows across her face. Her mind was completely silent. I did not know who she was… but I certainly wanted to.

And then it hit me.

It was like a slap in the face as the scent of her blood washed over me. I had never smelt anything like it before and my body quickly tensed up. It was so strong, so intoxicating. The venom pooled in the mouth, the back of my throat beginning to burn, and I knew I had to get out of there. If I didn't, I would have drained her dry in an instant. I couldn't hurt her, not this glorious angel, so I bolted from the door, heading up the stairs as fast as I could. I did not need a mirror to know that my eyes were as black as coal. I was hungry… but I was only hungry for this girl's delectable blood.

I'd heard myths of what this could mean. In fact, it was probably one of the most famous myths about our species… the myth of a vampire's singer.

It is said that every vampire out there has what is called a singer - a person whose blood is so intoxicating that a vampire will stop at nothing to get it. It becomes an obsession, something you need, something you crave, like the strongest brand of heroin. Not all vampires find their singer, but they certainly know when they do.

When the singer is found, a vampire can do one of two things. The first, which practically every single vampire does, is to kill their singer, drain them, and drink the blood that they yearn for so much. The second option, however, is so unheard of that the idea itself is like a fairytale. The second option is like a myth in itself.

The second option is protection. Rather than feed from the blood source, a vampire will keep it, allowing the singer to live, perhaps to keep the blood for a later date, or perhaps to keep another vampire from taking it. Since the stories are so rare, they differ and get changed through time. It is practically unheard of, but it can happen. The vampire becomes attached to their singer, wanting to protect that blood source at all times.

As mad as it sounds, a vampire really can allow their singer to live.

But that girl couldn't really be my singer, could she? I'd have killed her, I'd have slaughtered her if she was. The second option is so rare that the chances of it happening to me were practically impossible. Her blood must have just smelt good… that had to be the reason… surely.

I ran down the hallway, heading for my room, heading to safety, when Emmett decided to make himself present. A huge smile graced his lips.

"Hey, Eddy boy is finally here!" I bolted past him, his eyes following me. "And there he goes again."

Realizing that I had to know who this confusing girl was, I stopped running and headed to Emmett. My eyes were wide, panicking. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before, I had to know what was going on.

"Emmett," I said as I grabbed his shoulders. "Don't you smell that?"

"Smell what?"

"The blood! Can't you smell it? It's everywhere!" I hadn't really noticed it before, but when I really began to concentrate, this girl's scent was everywhere. She'd been here a while. A few days maybe.

"It's just Alice," Emmett shrugged, making me remove my hands. "She's human. What do you expect?"

"No, it's not Alice," I said, closing my eyes and rubbing my temples. I getting frustrated by Emmett's useless answers. "It's a girl. She's downstairs and I don't know who she is, but all I can smell is her blood."

_Oh, he must mean Bella, _came Emmett's thoughts.

I opened my eyes. "Who is Bella?"

"Isabella Swan is Alice's new nanny," he said matter-of-factly.

Oh great! It was the bloody nanny! Why do I always land myself in this kind of shit?

"Why, what's wrong?" Emmett asked. His thoughts were full of concern.

"Isn't the smell of her blood driving you insane?" I asked.

"Not really," Emmett answered. _Jeez, Edward's eyes seem pretty black_.

"How black?" I asked fearfully.

"Like you haven't fed in weeks," Emmett answered. "When did you last hunt?"

"About 3 hours ago," I answered.

Emmett let out a low whistle and ran his hands through his hair. His thoughts were as confused and worried as my own. "Shit, dude."

This girl, this strange angelic girl, had confused and baffled me more in a few mere minutes than the rest of the world had in my 109 years of existence. What was she? Who was she? But mostly, what was she doing to me?

"And you think the reason for this is Bella?" Emmett asked.

"I think so," I whispered. I began pacing in front of my brother, running my hands frantically through my hair.

"Edward can think? I never knew!" came Rosalie's voice as she walked down the hallway. She joined Emmett at his side, linking their arms together.

"Fuck off, Rose. I'm not in the mood," I seethed.

"Oh. Wow. Good to see you too," Rosalie said, acting offended.

"Wait. You… You don't think she's your… singer, do you?" asked Emmett, uttering the exact words that I didn't want to hear. It was one thing for me to see this Bella girl as my singer, but for Emmett, one of my closest and dearest friends to see it too was a real eye opener.

I merely nodded. "The symptoms are all there. The undeniable hunger, the potent scent of the blood, the complete and utter lust to drink it. I've never smelt blood like it before. I want it so much."

"Hang on," said Rosalie. "Bella is Edward's singer?"

"Seems that way," Emmett replied.

"Ha! Oh, this is classic," she laughed. I didn't give her the satisfaction of a reaction to this. My mind had other things to comprehend.

My singer...

I'd actually found my singer. The one living creature whose blood I wanted more than any other… and I didn't have the heart to take it. Could I really be one of those rare cases where I wanted to keep her alive? It was an odd feeling really. I knew from precedent that I should want to rip her to complete pieces and drink every drop of blood that ran through her veins. But at the same time, I wanted nothing more than to keep her alive. I couldn't really explain it.

It was like I had immense urge to drink from her, but a huge part of me was fighting it.

"But I don't get it," Emmett suddenly said, breaking me from my thoughts. "If she's your singer, shouldn't you be draining her right now? Don't get me wrong, I like Bella. But from a vampire's perspective, why aren't you killing her and ripping her to shreds?"

"I don't know," I whispered. But I wished I did. What was it about this girl? Why was I being like this? Why wasn't I killing her? I wanted to know, and the only way of doing that was by keeping her alive. I had to know why this was happening to me, and Bella was my only answer. I just hoped I had the strength to stay away from her blood.

"I just don't understand how you're fighting the urge," Emmett said. His thoughts suddenly turned to a vision of him feeding.

Emmett had already found his singer. It happened about 30 years back when we lived in England. He was out hunting when he came across a hiker minding his own business. The scent hit him, and suddenly he wasn't his usual bubbly self… he was a bloodthirsty predator. He killed and drained the poor guy in 30 seconds. The man couldn't have even known what was happening!

Emmett couldn't have known what I was going through. As a vampire, he had taken option 1 when meeting his singer. However, I knew better…

"I recognize the thought process," I explained. "My thoughts and actions are just like Jasper's were."

Emmett and Rosalie understood this immediately.

Jasper had already found his singer too and, just like it seemed I was, he had chosen option 2. He could not kill his singer. In fact, he refused too. He took one look at her and knew he wanted to keep her forever, almost like when a werewolf imprints. I suppose that's the best way to describe option 2, like an imprint. The protective urge came into play and now Jasper loves his singer like no other. He no longer wants her blood, he just wants to keep her alive and safe.

So it was kind of a surprise when we found out Jasper's singer was Alice.

6 long years Alice had been with us and he had never tried to take her blood once. He wanted the blood, believe me! I had read his thoughts enough times to know how much he yearned for just a single drop of it. The blood meant a lot to him, but Alice meant a whole lot more. He would never be able to live with himself if he hurt her. She was like his little sister, but his thoughts gave away more than that.

I'd seen the visions he'd had of Alice in a few years time, grown up and immortal, the two of them happy and in love. That was what he wanted. He wanted Alice to be with him forever. But he knew whilst she was still 12, nothing romantic could ever happen. But he wanted her love in the future. He loved her in every way imaginable, and he hoped that, in the future, Alice would love him too.

Of course, being a mind reader, I knew better. Alice was already in love with him, and Emmett would always tease her like crazy for it.

But the things that Jasper felt. The need to protect my singer, the overwhelming urge to keep them alive, the compulsion to get to know them better. That was what I feeling for Bella. I didn't want to kill her, I wanted to know her. This girl, who hadn't actually done anything, I wanted to find out who she was. I wasn't ready to take her blood yet, and I didn't know for the life of me why I was feeling this way.

"I… I think I need to speak to Carlisle about this," I suggested.

"Good idea," agreed Emmett. "As you say, if this is like Jasper, he's gonna need to know."

I nodded, rubbing my chin. And here was me, expecting a nice and quiet return home for the summer break. And now, Bella had totally turned that on its head.

"Edward!" called a voice, breaking me from my thoughts. I recognized it immediately, and turned around to see Alice running towards me, a huge grin upon her face.

"Hey, Pixie," I smiled, calling her by her nickname. She immediately leapt into my arms to give me a hug. I caught her easily, not because I was a vampire, but because she was so small, even for a 12 year old. She really was a pixie.

"How's things?" she asked once I finally put her back onto her feet again.

"Things are… good," I said. I needed to speak to Carlisle about Bella first before I said anything to anyone else.

"Good. Have you missed me?" she giggled.

"I always miss you, Pixie," I said. And I had. I loved Alice. She was my little sister and one of my best friends. I'd missed the whole family really… even Rosalie at times. "How have you been?"

"Good," she said. "School's been going fine, but I'm glad for summer vacation. Bella even said yesterday… Bella! Oh my gosh, you haven't met her yet!"

She could not have been more wrong.

"I'll go fetch her for you. I'll be right back," she told me.

I tried to call her back, but she was already gone. For a little human, Alice was very fast on her feet!

I was expecting a bit of time before I met Bella properly. I needed to get used to the fact that I wanted to kill her every time I met her! It was a lot to get used to, and I knew I would have to adapt to her being here, so Alice throwing me in at the deep end wasn't good.

_Carlisle's in his office_, came Emmett's thoughts. They could not have come sooner. I thanked my brother and headed towards my father. Due to my vampiric speed, I made it there in mere seconds.

I knocked on the wooden door before my father's voice called out for me to come in. I entered the room, closing the door behind me. My father was sitting at his desk, filling out paper work from the hospital. It was the same almost every summer. No school meant that children usually got more injuries, and the hospital would be as busy as ever. Piles of paperwork surrounded him, filling his desk.

I finally let out a breath, glad for the fresh air. Bella's scent wasn't in this room. She must not have come in here during her stay. The fresh air was welcoming, the burning in the back of my throat dying done somewhat.

Carlisle looked up from his paperwork and grinned when he saw me.

"Edward!" he beamed, standing up from his seat. "You finally made it home." He came around his desk and held me in a fatherly hug. He patted me on the back a few times before he pulled away.

"Good to see you, Carlisle," I said.

"How was Seattle?" he asked me.

"Rainy, but what else do you expect," I said. I wanted to get straight to the point of why I was here. "Listen, I need to talk to you about something."

"Of course, but first of all, have you said hello to your mother yet?"

"No, but-"

"You better go see her first, you know how she gets," Carlisle laughed.

I supposed this would be fine. Sure, I wanted to discuss my Bella problem, but seeing Esme did sound appealing. Carlisle led me out of his office and down to the laundry room. We had people to do our laundry, but Esme had always insisted on doing it herself. She was a mother at heart, what did you expect?

No sooner did we enter the hallway again did Bella's scent flow through me. The burning feeling in my throat resumed and the venom began to pool again. I squeezed my eyes shut and gave myself a moment to compose myself. I couldn't kill her, so I would have to get used to the smell. There was nothing else for it.

We entered the laundry room, where Esme was beyond pleased to see me. She hugged me and kissed my cheek, immediately asking how I was, if I was well, if I was glad to be home. It was the usual questions a mother asks when her child returns home after a long period of time. Totally abandoning the laundry, we all made our way into the living room, taking a seat upon the sofa. We continued our conversation.

"When did you last feed?" was the next question Esme asked me. "You look starved." A motherly tone entered her voice as she noticed my black eyes.

"Yeah, that's part of what I wanted to discuss with you, Carlisle," I began until, once again, I was interrupted.

"There you are!" exclaimed Alice as she entered the living room. "I tell you I'll be right back and then you disappear on me! Thanks, Edward."

I looked towards her and my body froze up again, the scent becoming a whole lot stronger. Alice wasn't alone.

Bella stood next her, her hands clasped in front of her, and a nervous blush on her face. Now that she was awake, I could see her so much better and she was… well… beautiful. Her big brown eyes sparkled in the morning light. As her soft brown hair hung neatly around her shoulders. And her blush, no matter how potent it made her, allowed her to look fucking adorable. Sure, it was bringing the blood to the surface of her skin, but I enjoyed looking at it.

Maybe I was masochistic or something, but I liked the blush.

"Hi, you must be Edward. I'm Bella," she smiled, holding out her hand for me to shake.

Her voice rang like bells, filling my ears. The sound was extremely pleasant. I looked down at her hand and considered my options for a brief moment. I couldn't kill her, of this I had already decided. Seeing her properly only confirmed this fact. So that meant I would have to adapt to her scent, it was the only thing I could do. The more I was surrounded by it, the most used to it I would get.

If Isabella Swan was to remain in my life, I would have to find ways to protect her, not only from the outside world, but from myself.

I took my first step to recovery.

"A pleasure to meet you," I smiled, taking her hand and shaking it. Her skin was warm, soft, inviting. A slight tingly feeling slid through my hand at her touch, but it just added to the loveliness of her skin. Her blush grew brighter, the scent getting stronger, but I persevered… for both our sakes.

It was strange. I did not want to devour her blood, I wanted to preserve it. I really must have been masochistic because, although this girl was torturing me, I wanted to keep her around and alive.

No, there was no way I could kill this girl... My singer.

Life was definitely going to be interesting from now on…


	4. Don't stop the music

_Hello there!_

_A huge thanks to Twilightluver2127, mixmatched9, lionlambnatz, WeFallForever, Coleen561, Snusa, graciegrl96, Natalie51, StormRain0904, JennWen, secretobsession7 and Cina's for their reviews. Thank you!_

_I was expecting to get this chapter out a little earlier… but I ended up going camping instead! It rained though. A lot. But I still had a great time._

_This chapter is named after "Don't stop the music" by Rihanna. As ever, let me know what you think…_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. But you all knew that!_

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

Jeez… For a 12 year old, Alice Cullen sure had a hell of a lot of clothes! She could open an entire store with them if she wanted, she had that many! There were at least three piles of clothes lying about her bedroom, and each pile stood almost as tall as me! I sighed as I stared at them, hands on my hips. Laundry was going to be fun today.

Esme liked to do the laundry normally. She said that even though she pays people to do it, people like me, she occasionally chose to do it herself. She claimed it made her feel more like a mother figure if she was helping run the house hold instead of leaving it to the people she actually employed for the job. I personally thought it was a mad theory. If I had the chance to do less work for the same amount of money, I'd practically bite her hand off for it! Who wouldn't?

Still, Esme's motherly tendencies allowed me two days a week where I was free from doing laundry. I couldn't complain really.

But she had chosen this day as her laundry day off, so the job fell to me.

"Alice?" I shouted. I knew she was down the hallway and could easily hear me. She and Emmett had been playing video games in his room for the past hour now. I took another glance at the laundry whilst I waited for her. There was no way I could do all this alone. I needed help and I needed it from Alice. Footsteps sounded down the hall and Alice finally popped her head around the door, her face all giggles and smiles.

"Yes?" she enquired.

"I'm going to need your help, Sweetie," I said, gesturing to the clothes on the floor. "I don't know what's clean and what's dirty."

"Oh," she said, fully entering the room, glancing at the piles of clothing. "I know which is which. I'll help."

She closed the door behind her, took a seat on the floor, and we began sorting through the clothes.

We worked for a few short minutes in silence, sorting the clothing into dirty piles and clean piles, then splitting the dirty pile into light clothing and dark clothing, ready to be washed. We placed what we found into the laundry basket, then continued our sorting, concentrating hard. Alice was the first to break the silence.

"So... Jasper is coming on Wednesday," she smiled, her blush seemingly appearing again. It seemed very difficult for her to hide it whenever Jasper's name was mentioned. I found her crush adorable.

"Oh, I can't wait to meet him," I told her, folding up one of her skirts. I placed it in the clean pile.

"He phoned me again last night and said he couldn't wait to come home," she said.

Hmmm… I found it odd that he would call Alice rather Carlisle or Esme, but as usual, I kept my mouth shut. He seemed quite attached to the Cullens considering he was a family friend, almost like he was a brother to them or something. I had to admit, I was rather eager to meet him.

"Are you excited to see him?" I smiled, already knowing her answer.

She nodded vigorously. "Of course, I'm always excited to see Jasper." Her blush grew bright red.

"That's quite a blush you have there, Alice," I chuckled, teasing her just a little.

"What! No I don't. What has Emmett been saying to you? Don't believe him, he's always doing things like that to me." She was speaking at a hundred miles an hour. I could barely figure out what she was saying.

"It's ok, Alice. You can tell me. We're all girls here and I hope that we're friends too."

"Well… I suppose," she seemed nervous. I couldn't blame her; she was a 12 year old girl confessing her first crush. "I mean, I do find him very handsome."

"Do you like him?" I asked.

"Yes… I think I do," she smiled, her blush growing brighter still. "Very much so, actually."

"See, it wasn't so hard to admit, was it?" I said.

"No, I suppose not. But you can't tell anyone, especially Emmett. He would tease me for the rest of my life if he knew."

I pretended to zip my lips shut. "Your secret is safe with me."

"The only other person who knows is Edward, so you both have to keep quiet about it. Ok?"

_Edward…_

"Alright," I said, going back to sorting the clothes.

The mention of Edward got my mind thinking…

Well, the famous Edward had finally made his long awaited appearance on Sunday morning, and I finally got to meet him at long last. The build up to his arrival had been so big within the Cullen household, that I felt a little upset that I had missed it. I had been fast asleep when Alice came to tell me he was already here, so it wasn't until she came in shouting that I finally woke up. I quickly composed myself and followed her to him.

Edward was very handsome, ridiculously so. He could melt the underwear off of any woman! But then again, the rest of this family were beautiful too, so it was to be expected. A perfect nose, chiseled jaw line, eyes as black as the night. It was enough to make any girl swoon at his feet. He was tall and lean with pale skin and a slender body. His hair was bronze and disheveled, the kind of hair that you want to run your fingers through again and again.

He was so polite when he greeted me, his voice like velvet, feeling extremely good to the ears. There was no doubt that Edward Cullen was popular with the ladies. I was blushing from merely looking at him! When I shook his hand, his skin was cold, just like his mother's had been that first morning. The only difference between them was the eyes. Just like Alice, he did not have golden eyes. It was strange, yet intriguing.

But one thing that I did notice, and kind of put me on edge, was how tense he seemed. He did not seem to react to me like the rest of his family had. His body was stock still when he saw me, almost like seeing a ghost, and I could see his jaw clenching when he shook my hand. I didn't know if he was a people person, or if he just disliked strangers, but Edward did not look comfy at all.

Still, Edward had been nice enough so far, and so I liked him just like the rest of the family… despite the fact that I wanted to run my fingers through his hair! I figured it was best to keep that little fact quiet.

"So, what do you think of Edward?" Alice asked me out of the blue, almost as if she knew what I was thinking.

_No, course she doesn't. Mind readers don't exist, right?_

"He seemed nice," I told her honestly, placing a shirt into the dirty pile. During my thoughts, we had managed to rid ourselves of one whole pile. Two more to go.

"Edward is the greatest," she proceeded to tell me as she folded a pair of pants. "I've missed him whilst he's been away. Emmett is great company, but after a while, his pranks begin to annoy you, so I'm just glad that Edward is finally home. I can finally see my big brother again."

I completely related to her in a sense. I had only been gone a few days and I already missed my dad and sisters like crazy. Having grown up with them all being there each and every day, their lack of presence was a bit of a shock to the system. It felt odd not having them around like I was used to. It was hard to be away from them for so long, but I just stuck to the hope that I would see them again soon. I promised Jane I would, after all.

"How long will he be here for?" I asked, perhaps a little too eagerly.

_Stop thinking about his hair!_

My subconscious knew exactly how my brain worked!

"The whole summer as far as I'm aware," Alice told me, finishing off the second pile. "I'm so excited that he's here for so long."

We continued sorting out her clothes, the subject changing to makeup, school, fashion, and even Jasper once or twice.

I found Alice to be quite grown up for her age. She was well spoken and polite. She seemed a happy child from what I could tell, which further confused me about her need for a nanny. She didn't seem to have any problems. She appeared to live a happy and fulfilling life. She loved the people around her and they loved her in return. So why was I here? It was still taking me a while to fully understand my purpose in her life.

I quickly set the clothes to wash once we had finished sorting them, and I made Alice a quick lunch of pasta before we proceeded back up to her room. With the laundry done, we pretty much had the afternoon to ourselves. We were going to watch a DVD.

"I need to go to the bathroom," the pixie quickly interjected. It was odd how soon I had gotten used to that nickname! "You go set the TV up, and I'll be right there."

I left her and continued onto her room quickly. I walked up the stairs and proceeded on. All of a sudden, a sound fluttered down the hallway and reached my ears, stopping me in my tracks. The music sounded so beautiful, and I instantly recognized the instrument as a piano. I quickly remembered the piano I had seen on my tour of the house during my first day here, so I hurried to the room where it was kept, eager to see who was playing such beautiful music.

The door was open a touch, a small gap allowing me to see into it. Sitting at the piano with his back to me, his hands smoothly moving from left to right across the keys, was none other than Edward. He was playing perfectly, totally absorbed in his music.

_Ooo, the sun is shining perfectly off of his hair…_

My subconscious needed to stop. Now. Before I got angry with her!

I just stood there for a short while with my eyes closed, listening to the gentle tune that flooded the area around me. Edward was very talented; I could tell that he had been playing piano for some years. The music seemed effortless, almost as if it was coming from inside him rather than the piano. It sounded wonderful and I could not tare myself away from it.

"You can come in, you know," came his voice. I quickly opened my eyes and saw that he hadn't moved an inch. His back was still to me and the music was still playing.

_How… How the hell can he have known I was there?_

I thought nothing of it and opened the door anyway, entering the room. The room was very large, with lamented flooring and a comfy looking sofa. It was very well lit due to the tall and wide windows. Pictures covered the walls, and a piano stood proud in the very middle of the floor. Edward stopped playing and looked at me with warm eyes as I entered. His body still seemed a little too tense for my liking.

"Bella," he said, nodding at me in greeting. I merely smiled as I headed towards the sofa.

"Hey, wait. Where are you going?" called Alice's voice from down the hall. She ran to the room and entered quickly. "I thought we were going to watch a DVD."

"You have all summer to watch DVDs, Alice," commented Edward, who had gone back to his playing. "I'm sure you and Bella can spare a few minutes. I haven't seen you since Christmas, after all."

Alice let out a breath. "I suppose." She shut the door and came to take a seat next to me upon the sofa.

"See, that wasn't so hard now, was it?" smiled Edward.

"It's a good job I like you," harrumphed Alice. I could tell she really wanted to watch her DVD.

We sat in silence for a short while, just allowing the music to fill the room. I enjoyed it very much. Edward was the kind of player that you could very easily listen to for hours. He did not miss a single note and he played each piece through perfectly. I looked down to Alice halfway through his third piece and noticed she had fallen fast asleep. The laundry must have taken more out of her than I thought. The poor thing looked completely fatigued. I left her to sleep as I continued to listen.

"Are you settling in well?" Edward suddenly asked. He did not stop playing as he made conversation.

"Yes, thank you," I answered, my hands fidgeting nervously in my lap. "Everybody has been so nice to me."

"Well everyone seems to like you," he said.

"How do you know?" I asked eagerly. Did they really like me like I liked them?

He smiled then to himself. It was a knowing smile. "I can just… tell."

"Oh," I said, expecting a more… well, scientific answer than that. "Well, I certainly like everyone. Especially Alice. She can be a handful, but I really do like her."

"Yeah, the pixie can be a bundle of energy at times."

"She can," I agreed, looking down at her sleeping form. Her chest rose and fell in sleep. She was completely out. I looked back up to Edward, changing the topic of conversation. "You're very talented, by the way."

"Thank you," he said, a smile playing on his lips.

"How long have you been playing?"

"I've been playing since I was about 4 years old."

"Well you're very good," I smiled, pleased with how our conversation was going. Edward seemed surprisingly easy to talk to, actually. I enjoyed his company. A lot.

_And his hair!_

"Do you play, Bella?" he asked me, changing songs.

I shook my head. "No. We could never afford music lessons. My mother played clarinet in high school, but that's as far as my family's musical talents go."

"Oh," he said. "That's a shame."

"But I love to listen to music," I quickly added, not wanting to sound too uneducated.

"As do I," Edward smiled, shuffling along the piano bench a little, leaving a vacant gap. He let out a breath. "Come here, I'm sure I can teach you something."

I didn't know what to do at first. I just sat there, staring like a lemon. Was he really asking me to sit next to him and play his piano? He looked to me when I didn't move and gestured his head for me to join him, smiling politely. I stood up apprehensively and slowly walked over, seating myself upon the piano bench. The gap between us wasn't too big, but I could feel the cold temperature pouring off of him. It was oddly comforting.

He stiffened when I sat next to him, but he slowly relaxed, his body seeming much calmer the longer we sat there. He stopped playing and placed his hands in his lap. He made sure to maintain the distance between us.

"So, have you ever played a piano before?" he asked me.

"Never," I answered, feeling completely dumb. I mean, everybody has at least touched a piano once in their life, right? The piano master that was Edward Cullen must have thought that I was a complete freak!

"I guess we'll have to start of simple then," he said as he proceeded to play the tune to 3 blind mice.

He played it a few times over in order for me to grasp the basic melody. I watched his every move, committing the notes to memory. It seemed easy enough and, when I finally had a go and was confident that I could play the tune, he played along with me.

I still managed to get a few notes wrong! I let out an annoyed sigh.

"Don't worry," he told me. "You'll get it. Just keep trying. Nobody is perfect first time round."

"Were you?" I asked as I continued to perfect the tune.

"Nope. I was awful," he said. "I kept getting the notes confused, I missed notes. I was completely terrible if I'm honest. But I practiced and persevered until I could play."

"Well, the practice paid off because I think you play beautifully," I said with a small blush.

"Thank you. You aren't so bad yourself."

And it was in that moment that I realized was playing the tune correctly. I was in time with Edward and I didn't miss a single note. My grin was huge.

"I'm… I'm playing," I cried happily.

"Like I said, practice makes perfect," Edward said before pulling his fingers from the piano. I was now playing alone, but I was still managing to play the piece in time. God, this guy was a good teacher. I had never touched a piano in my entire life, but in the space of a few short minutes, he'd taught me to play a simple melody without any mistakes.

"You're a natural," he complemented as I continued to play. My blush grew brighter as I noticed him tense just a little more from the corner of my eye. I stopped playing, realizing that something was wrong with him. Yet as I stopped playing, he began.

He closed his eyes and suddenly his fingers began playing a tune that I had never heard before. It was so soft and gentle, so sweet and beautiful, that I could not help but watch his hands as they hit the black and white keys. What he was playing, I had no idea, but it sounded almost like a lullaby of sorts. It was soothing, yet deeply romantic at the same time. It drew you in and kept you hanging till the very end. It was amazing.

We were silent whilst he played, the music filling the room. It flowed beautifully, and when it finished, I felt a little upset. I wanted to continue on. I craved to hear more.

"What was that piece called?" I asked once his hands were in his lap again.

"I don't know," Edward said, his voice reserved and confused. "It just sort of… happened."

_Wow. Now that's what I call improvisation!_

He was silent, his body tense once again. I looked up to his face to see whether he was alright or not. His eyes were boring deeply into mine, causing my heart to thump in an odd way. But that's when I noticed it.

I gasped.

"Edward… Your… Your eyes," I stammered. They were no longer black as they had been the day before. They were bright gold, just like the rest of his family. But how? They were black yesterday, as black as coal. I would not have forgotten something like that. It was very strange.

"What about them?" he said, turning his head away abruptly.

"They were black, but now they're…" Confusion stopped me from finishing my sentence.

"Gold?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. I nodded. "They've always been that color, Bella."

My brow furrowed. He must have thought I was a complete idiot. "No. They were black. I swear they were."

"It must have been the lighting that made them seem dark," he explained to me. "See, it's much brighter today, so they look more gold. Trust me, Bella. My eyes were never black."

Now he was just outright lying. I knew what I had seen. They were black. I would never have missed something like that. So why were they now gold, and why was he trying so hard to deny it? There was nothing wrong with black eyes. I found it mysterious and interesting to have such dark eyes, and they had complemented his face nicely. So why the big cover up?

What was going on?

We'd had a lovely afternoon together. We had talked, laughed, played music together. It had been wonderful really, so why was he ruining it all by blatantly lying to me like he was?

I shook my head. I saw that his jaw was set, so I would not get the truth out of him, not at this moment anyway. Deciding to just ignore his words, I cast my eyes over to Alice, sleeping sweetly on the sofa. She had not made a murmur the whole time. I stood up from my seat.

"I… I better take her to her room. She'll be more comfortable in her bed."

Edward stood up too, walking behind me, straight to Alice's side. "I'll take her," he said, picking her up as if she were as light as a feather. "It's your afternoon off after all." He looked at me and he was no longer tense. His body seemed rather relaxed.

"Oh, alright," I said, making my way to the door. I opened it and, just before I stepped out, Edward stopped me.

"Bella?" he called.

"Yes?" I asked, turning to him.

A sweet and perfect smile graced his lips, causing my face to flush, totally washing away my annoyed emotions. It appeared that his lie was now forgotten. "Thank you for this afternoon. I had a really wonderful time... We should do it again."

"Uh, s… sure," I stuttered, my face growing brighter from his sweet words. "I'd like that."

And then I quickly left the room before I made an even bigger fool of myself and before my face became full out red. I hurried down the hallway to my room, the one place where I didn't have to be embarrassed.

Beauty… talent… kindness… lying… Edward Cullen was one strange person, someone that I didn't quite understand, but felt I could with time. I didn't know if he would allow me, or whether I would need to, but I still felt I could.

To me, he was a mystery, but he was one that I wouldn't mind taking the time to solve…


	5. Can't take my eyes off of you

_Hello!_

_A huge thanks to JennWen, Coleen561, rpattz granny, Natalie51, secretobsession7, sujari6, MacNNcheese95, Snusa, teamedwardtwilightfan, mixmatched9, StormRain0904, GAjujubee, BellaCullen4ever and Cina's for the reviews. Thanks, guys!_

_So, another day and another chapter. I hope you are all enjoying this story so far. I'm enjoying writing it, and there are definitely some upcoming chapters that I can't wait to write and I can't wait for you to read. The feedback has been amazing, so keep it up. Reviews just fuel my need to write, and I love all of your opinions. _

_This chapter is named after "Can't take my eyes off of you" by Frankie Valli. I love the Muse cover of this song._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, but if Stephenie Meyer wanted to lend me Edward for a week, well, that would be just fine by me ;)_

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View.

On Wednesday, I happily found that I had the entire morning to myself to do with just as I wished. Due to Jasper's impeding arrival in the afternoon, Esme had taken the day off work, so she and Alice had gone into town to buy the pixie a new dress for when Jasper showed up. The pixie really was adorable at times. She got in the car that morning, her face and voice animated with ideas for her dress. She really was out to impress Jasper, her determined face told me that.

I had to admit, I was pretty excited to meet Jasper Whitlock, the person who had clearly stolen little Alice's heart. She did nothing but praise him at every opportunity, and the rest of the family always seemed to show him in a good light too. All I knew about him was that he was tall, blonde, and around the same age as Edward - 22 years old. He must be pretty special to Alice, though, if she was going to buy a brand new dress for him, so I was glad that he was coming... even if just for her sake.

Still, it left me with a quiet and peaceful morning alone, and I was at quite a loss with what to do with myself. I'd been so wrapped up in Alice and my work for the past few days that, when it came to taking a break, I had no idea what to do.

I sat on my bed, glancing out of the window, my mind searching for ideas.

_Reading? Did that earlier. Laundry? Done it all. Shower? Already had one this morning…_

My head really was idea-free!

I looked at the shining bright sun that blared down from the sky, hoping it would inspire me in some way. Yes, Forks actually had a bit of sunshine! I was more shocked at this information than anyone! The weather was due to turn this afternoon and the rain would make its return, but for the morning, the news had said it was due to be bright and sunny. It reminded me of home, of Phoenix. And the more I looked at the sun, the more I wanted to be out in it. The day was glorious, so why not spend the morning in the good outdoors?

I had spent all my time here so far inside the house, living in it and exploring it, so I pretty much knew it from top to bottom now… But I had not yet explored outside. I wanted to see the gardens and the grounds of the huge house. I wanted to see what the outdoors had to offer me here, so with a fresh plan in my head, I stood up, put my shoes on, and headed outside.

The sun was high in the sky as a cool summer breeze blew past me as I stepped out of the large front door, the breeze lifting my hair just a little. It wasn't as warm as it was back in Phoenix, but it was a warm day by Forks standards. I noticed the black rain clouds far off in the distance, and realized the rain really was on its way. I had to make the most of the sunshine whilst it was here. I walked along the front drive of the house, looking into the deep forest opposite, so lush and green in all its finery.

_Hmmm… Perhaps save that for another day. Stick to the gardens today, Bella._

I agreed with my subconscious and began walking along the gravel driveway and round to the back gardens. The gravel crunched under my feet as I walked, the sound mixing with the others that surrounded me. The birds chirping, the wind rustling the branches of trees, the gravel crunching with each and every step. Forks truly was growing on me. The cool breeze was comforting and I had a smile on my face for the whole walk. I made my way past the huge double-door garage at the side of the house on my way to the garden, and my smile grew bigger as I spotted Jacob washing the cars. I had not seen him since my initial car journey here, so I hurriedly made my way over to him.

"So, this is what you do when you aren't driving or reassuring damsels in distress," I said when I finally reached him.

He turned from the window he was washing and grinned when he spotted me, as pleased to see me and I was him. "Hey, Bella. How's things going?" He placed the sponge he was using into his bucket of water and began drying his hands on a cloth.

"It's good to see you. Things are going great," I said.

"Good. I haven't seen you for a while," he told me.

"I know, that's what I thought. But I'm here now!" I laughed.

"That you are," he replied. "It's great to see you."

"Thanks," I replied. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. Driving, washing cars. As well as can be expected."

"That's good. Oh, you were right, by the way."

"About what?" he pondered.

"About the whole 'settling in' thing. It feels like home already."

"Told ya," he winked, bumping my shoulder with his in a friendly gesture. He was so big that I'm surprised he didn't knock me off my feet! Jacob had to be over 6 feet tall, not to mention the muscles that were clearly located all over his arms and chest. He must work out. "So what brings you down to the glamour's of the garage?"

"Nothing much," I replied, leaning back upon the garage door. "I have the morning free and the weather is good, so I thought, why not go outside?"

"Sure wish I had the morning off," he said, inspecting the car he was washing to see if he had missed a spot. It was a black Mercedes… and very nice!

"Well, Jasper's coming this afternoon, so Alice has gone into town with her mother to buy a new dress."

"And you decided to spend the morning watching me wash cars?" he joked. He quickly spotted a mark on the car, so headed for the sponge once again.

"No," I giggled. "I was going to the gardens, actually, so I can enjoy the weather whilst it stays good."

"Sounds nice," he smiled, rubbing the sponge along the car, washing the mark away.

"You just happened to be here on the way," I said.

"I'm just joking with you, Bells," he chuckled.

"I know," I said, standing up straight again. I pointed to the bonnet of the car. "You missed another spot."

"Another? Jeez, my head isn't screwed on today," he laughed. He began scrubbing at the spot I had indicated.

"It's a good job you have me to help then, isn't it?" I said. Jacob gave me a smooth smile, telling me that he agreed.

We stood there talking for at least an hour, my plan of exploring the gardens flying right out of the window. We spoke about everything, from our favorite movies to our favorite kind of cheese. Jake like cheddar, but I was a brie girl myself! Still, I preferred this from my walk, anyway. Jacob was great company and he had been very welcoming on my first day. I knew from first meetings that we would grow to be great friends, and our interaction now was only strengthening that theory. He was surprisingly easy to talk to, and our conversation never dipped. We always seemed to have something or other to say.

"So, what do you think of the Cullens?" he suddenly asked me. He had finished washing the Mercedes and had moved onto a beautiful red BMW convertible.

"The Cullens?" I pondered, a broad grin slithering onto my lips. "I… I really like them. They have been so kind to me and have made me feel so welcome in their home. Especially Alice."

"Yeah, Alice is cool. She loves to ride in the yellow Porsche."

_Porsche? How rich were these people?_

"Esme has been nothing but sweet, and Emmett has really made me giggle," I continued. The more I thought about it, the more I seemed to agree with myself. The Cullens really had been wonderful to me. Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, Alice… All of them had truly made me feel right at home. It didn't really feel like a job, it just felt like life. It was like I was doing all the work for pleasure and not because I was paid to. And to think, I was so nervous I wouldn't like them!

"Well it seems they all like you," he observed as he began drying the BMW. "Especially Edward."

_Edward?…_

"What makes you say that?" I asked him, my eyebrows furrowed.

"Well, he can't stop watching you, for one thing," he told me. "I'm no idiot, I see they way he looks at you. Almost like you confuse him, yet intrigue him at the same time. It's sorta weird."

I let out a single laugh. "Don't be silly. No he doesn't look at me."

"He's looking at you right now."

My eyes widened. "He is?"

"Yeah. See? Look," he said, tipping his head up to indicate to me a window on the top floor of the house.

I turned to look to where Jacob was indicating. He was right. There, standing by a tall window, looking right down at the two of us, was none other than Edward. He was leaning against the window, staring down at Jacob and me with such intensity in his eyes that it was very hard to miss. He was very high up on the top floor, but I could not miss his gold eyes, contrasting perfectly with his copper hair.

_Gold eyes… not black._

Yeah, they were still gold, and according to Edward, they always had been. I wasn't born yesterday, they were black when I first met him. I didn't understand the need for lies or denial. He was just digging a deeper hole for himself. I knew it was stupid for me to keep niggling at this whole eye color argument, but I just wanted to know the truth.

Even so, regardless of their color, I could not tare myself from his eyes as they quickly moved to mine. They were so strong, boring down upon Jacob and I. He kept me locked to him with one mere look, my own eyes finding it extraordinarily difficult to look away. He was the snake charmer and I was the snake. There was no escape from what I was seeing, almost like we had some sort of unknown connection that just the two of us felt...

His eyes and mine, unable to break apart...

_Weird…_

He stood tall and stark still, his posture stiff and tense, as usual. His mouth was set into a tight line and he did not blink. Most people would have found his glare intimidating. I didn't, I found it mysterious.

Lifting my hand with an unfamiliar strength, I offered him a wave to show that I had seen him. I smiled too, not wanting to seem too cold. He remained as he was for a few short moments before offering me a nod of acknowledgement and moving away from the window. He was gone. I dropped my hand and let out a sigh.

Even though I had denied what Jacob had told me, I kind of believed him. Edward had been staring at me a lot since our piano lesson that afternoon. Not even a blind person could have missed his stares. I didn't know what he wanted from me or why he was doing it, but I was too afraid to ask. I didn't know why I was afraid, but a small part of me knew that he should be left alone. I should not let my curiosity get the best of me, so I let it be. After all, Edward wasn't as easy going around me and Emmett or Alice were. I'd figured that out from his tense body whenever I was near.

I had tried to ease his feelings around me as best as I could. Whenever we passed each other in a hallway, I always said hello. Whenever I made Alice her dinner, I always asked him if he wanted any. Whenever I did Alice's laundry, I always asked if he had anything to be washed. I was always civil and polite to him at every opportunity and, I had to admit, he had relaxed greatly in the few days that I had known him. But he was not as relaxed as the rest of his family.

What Edward's problem was, I did not know. But I wanted to know… I really did.

"See? I told ya," gloated Jacob as he continued drying the car. He broke me from my thoughts as I looked back to him. "He can't stop staring at you."

"I suppose," I said, blushing a little.

Yes, Edward was not completely comfortable in my presence, but he would still continuously stare at me. Like any girl would, I felt a little giddy at the fact that a ridiculously hot guy was staring at me all the time. He probably wasn't staring at me in the way that I thought he was - because he thought I was as hot as he was - but it still made my heart thump. I knew it wasn't true, though. I was plain, no question about it. He could do far better than me in the women's department. So, if he wasn't constantly tense and constantly staring because he liked me, then why was he doing those things?

"Hey, you better get inside," Jacob suddenly said. "Looks like the rain is about to come in."

I looked up to the sky. He was right. The black rain clouds were right above us now, and I knew rain was immanent.

"Sure," I answered, putting on my happy face again. "I guess I should go."

"Alright," smiled Jacob. "But don't wait so long to come and see me next time."

I laughed. "I won't. See you later, Jacob."

"Later, Bella," he said as he began to get into the BMW to reverse it back into the garage. I quickly ran back into the house to avoid the downpour. I made it just in time as it began raining 10 seconds after I shut the front door.

Yes, Forks weather was definitely back to its best!

xXx

After having a quick sandwich for lunch and watching a little TV, Alice and Esme finally returned from their trip into town. And, just as she had said, Alice had a brand new dress which she was rather quick to show me. I didn't even have time to say hello to them before she grabbed my hand the second she entered the house and ran me upstairs to her bedroom.

She quickly put her dress on to show me, and I could not resist a smile. She looked utterly adorable! Her dress was a deep purple color and it completely flattered her. It went to her knees and made her look very grown up. She twirled before looking at me expectantly. Alice truly was feminine in every way.

"So, what do you think?" she asked, her blue eyes wide and glistening, looking at me expectantly, almost as if everything depended on the comment I would now give.

"I think Jasper will positively love it," I replied.

"You think?" she asked, her whole spirit changing. She seemed more sure of herself now, my words giving her confidence.

"Yes. You look beautiful," I said.

"And it's not too much?" she pondered, looking at herself from every angle in her full length mirror.

"No. You look perfect," I answered. And she did. With her purple dress and cute black hair, she looked almost like a fairy! Jasper would love her.

"Good," she said to me, a huge smile plastered on her lips. "Because Jasper is due any moment, and I have to look perfect for him."

_Woah, sooner than I thought!_

"Well, you better get down stairs before he arrives, then," I told her.

"You're right," she said as she ran for her door and ran down the hallway as fast as she could. I shook my head in amusement. She never failed to humor me did the pixie. I stood up from my seat upon her bed and headed out the door, ready to meet Jasper for myself...

This plan seemed good... until I almost collided head first with the figure walking past Alice's room. Thankfully, they managed to catch my arm before I fell flat on my ass and made a massive fool of myself. The skin of the figure was cold and an electrical current ran up my arm at their touch…

"In a rush to go somewhere, Bella?" asked Edward as he gently steadied me and let go of my arm once he knew it was safe to.

"Oh, uh, no," I answered once I was balanced on my feet again. "Just… not looking where I'm going. Sorry."

He smiled at me, a toothy smile that was charming and handsome, causing a profuse blush to spread over my cheeks. I looked at those eyes, those same eyes that had captured me so magically earlier. My legs almost gave way again.

"No need to be sorry. Accidents happen," he said softly.

"Still, t-thanks for c-catching me," I stuttered. He raised an eyebrow at my broken words.

_Oh great! Now he thinks you're insane and can't speak properly. Good going, Bella!_

"No worries," he grinned before he headed down the hallway and down the stairs, completely out of sight.

Well, that couldn't have gone any worse, could it? I fall, I blush, I stutter. The clumsy idiot that is Isabella Swan was certainly in full swing there. Lord knows what he must think of me now. He was uncomfortable enough around me as it was. There really was no need for me to go and make it worse. Yet I did. Edward no doubt thought I was a complete klutz and weirdo, and I only had myself to blame.

_Great!_

I hurried myself down the stairs before things could get any worse.

I found Emmett was watching some daytime game show in the living room, so I took a seat next to him on the sofa and gazed at the TV. I found it quite boring in all honesty, but Emmett seemed to be enjoying it. Rosalie sat next to him, flicking through some magazine she had managed to get her hands on. She seemed just as bored with the game show as I was.

_Sure wish I had a magazine to read…_

The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it, I'll get it, I'll get it!" cried Alice as she ran right past us at amazing speed, just like a gazelle.

"Looks like Jasper's here," Emmett smirked.

"Em, don't tease her, ok?" said Rosalie as she closed her magazine, placed it on the coffee table and stood up. "She's excited, so leave her be."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine." He turned to me and winked. Yeah, I had a feeling that the teasing would definitely be in full swing, whether Alice and Rosalie liked it or not!

Carlisle followed Alice in from the kitchen and opened the lock on the door before Alice could turn the handle. We all turned in our seats and faced the foyer, ready to view our new guest.

"Jasper!" she screamed when she opened the door. She instantly leapt up into his arms and he caught her easily.

"Hey, Pixie," grinned as he hugged her. "You missed me?" His voice had a soft southern drawl to it, making him sound like a cowboy or something. Jasper must have been from the south. Texas, I assumed.

"Of course I missed you," she giggled. "I always miss you."

"Well, I missed you too," he replied as he kissed her forehead and set her back on her feet again.

It seemed odd to say, but it was clear that Alice and Jasper had some sort of… well… connection, like a silent and invisible force linking the two of them together. The way he looked at her and the way she adored him. It wasn't something I'd ever seen before... Well, I suppose I had. From the way they looked at each other, it almost mirrored Edward and I this morning. The way they seemed together was truly breathtaking. Almost like lifelong friends, connected somehow. Like they knew what the other was thinking or feeling. I couldn't really describe it, but I could tell that they were extremely close. Just by looking at them, you felt almost as if you shouldn't be. Like watching them was interrupting them.

"Hello, Jasper," smiled Carlisle in greeting. Jasper grinned back and the two of them embraced in a manly hug, just like two friends who had not seen each other for a long time..

"Good to see you, Carlisle," Jasper answered before entering the house fully, his suitcase in hand. "It's been too long."

"Oh, is he here?" called Esme from the kitchen.

"He's here!" cried Alice, who had not left her friend's side since he'd arrived.

"Jasper, sweetheart," beamed Esme as she entered the foyer. She hugged Jasper tightly before releasing him. She brushed a few of his curls from his forehead, her motherly side never far away. "How was your journey?" She led him into the open living room where we were waiting. He took a seat, Alice immediately sitting on his lap. Emmett nudged me, his eyebrows raising up and down. Yes, there would definitely be teasing!

"It was as good as can be expected," he said. "I'm just glad to be back here again."

"Well, you know you're always welcome here," Esme said sweetly.

I took this opportunity to properly look at the new visitor. Jasper was tall and lean, probably just short of 6 feet tall. His face was handsome, but I came to expect this. His head was filled with curly blonde hair and he had… golden eyes…

I blinked and swallowed.

_What was with these people?_

Golden eyes… cold skin… beauty on a ridiculous level… I was at a complete loss here… What was going on?

"And this is Bella," said Alice, breaking me from my musings. I hadn't even realized they were speaking about me. I looked to Alice and Jasper and smiled politely.

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Bella," said Jasper.

"A pleasure to meet you too," I said.

"She's Alice's new nanny," said Edward as he entered from the kitchen, his face happy and relaxed. He approached Jasper and did that fist bump thing that guys do these days. "Good to see you, bro."

"You too, Edward," said Jasper. "You too."

So this was it. Everyone who I knew was here. Edward had arrived, Jasper had arrived. And this family was confusing me beyond belief with practically everything they did. As Dorothy once said, I'm not in Kansas anymore...

I wondered what would happen from here…


	6. Chasing cars

_Hello!_

_A huge thanks to lynne0731, lionlambnatz, Coleen561, Snusa, teamedwardtwilightfan, Natalie51, sujari6, Cina's, WeFallForever and mommymac0508 for their reviews. Thank you!_

_Well, I think I must have had the worst week of my life this week. Firstly, I missed my bus to my aunt's house and had to walk in the rain. Then on Thursday night, I woke up in immense pain with my tooth. I was almost in tears! Then on Friday the 13th__, I go to the dentist, only for him to tell me that I have to go into hospital to have my wisdom teeth surgically removed! Friday the 13__th__, people! Worst week ever, I tell you. Now I have to wait for my hosptial appointment. Life sucks sometimes._

_Hopefully though, a good reaction to this chapter will help cheer me up *wink wink* lol. Enjoy and as ever, let me know what you think._

_This chapter is named after "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol. I love this song. It's definitely in my top 5 songs of all time. I would seriously recommend listening to it. It's stunning._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight… and pretty soon, I wont own my wisdom teeth either!_

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

Alice and I were left alone on Friday morning. Esme and Carlisle were at work all day, Emmett and Rosalie had gone away for the weekend (I didn't want to know!), Jasper was finishing what was left of his unpacking and so was confined to his room, and Edward said he needed some fresh air and so was going for a walk, his eyes a little darker than their so-called golden that morning.

I had officially been at the Cullen's house for an entire week now… and I only had Alice to celebrate with!

But it had been quite an exciting week, I had to admit. I had worked, made some wonderful friends, and had been confused beyond belief by the people who lived here.

I couldn't really call it work, though, since I had so much fun doing it. Alice was a little ball of energy that made each day different, and the rest of the family always treated me with the highest respect. I was always smiling, always busy, always happy. The work hadn't been fairly difficult and I had done a good job at whatever I did. And to think, I was getting paid for it! No, it was hardly work at all.

I had made friends too. Little Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, Jacob, and now Jasper. All had been so kind and welcoming, it almost seemed like I had always been here, like I had known them all my life. I no longer felt nervous around them like I had on my first day. I no longer had to worry about them disliking me, because they clearly didn't. Work seemed like home, and it was thanks to these people that it did.

But nothing is perfect, is it? Behind the lovely exterior of a great job and wonderful friends, Edward was niggling away, staying like an itch that refused to budge. I was always aware of him being there, upsetting the otherwise beautiful life I had seemed to have carved out for myself here.

It wasn't completely terrible. It wasn't like we hated each other or anything. Believe me, things had not gotten that bad. It was more of a case that there was an… uncomfortability… between us. I personally had no problem with the middle Cullen child. He seemed nice enough in my opinion and I had been nothing but civil and polite to him whenever we met. There were no bad feelings what-so-ever on my part.

It was he who had the problem with me.

Well, it wasn't a problem per se. He'd never been nasty to me or spoken ill of me. He just seemed uncomfortable in my presence. He was too tense, too quiet, too uneasy. I noticed that he never relaxed when I was around and he never seemed his self. And if that wasn't off-putting enough, his eyes would always be fixed on me, staring at me like a freak-show who was there for entertainment.

I did not know what I had done, but I just wished he'd tell me.

I couldn't think of anything that I'd done to upset him, but I wanted to fix the problem as soon as possible. Like I said, he didn't hate me, he was just awkward in my presence. I needed to ease him and relax him as best as I could. I needed Edward to understand that I wasn't a bad person, there was no need to constantly hold me at an arm's length away.

All of this information I recalled to my sister, Heidi, during my phone call to her that morning. Alice was not yet awake, so I had the otherwise empty house to myself.

"Maybe 'tall, dark and handsome' is just a freak," she said, using the nickname she had coined for Edward ever since I had described him to her during my last phone call.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't be mean, Heidi," I told her. "I think he's just… nervous around me."

"Ooo, maybe he likes you!"

_Ha! Fat chance!_

"I don't think it's that," I laughed. "I just think he needs to get used to having someone new living in the house."

"I suppose," she said. "You need to show him you're not the bad guy."

"The rest of the family like me, it's just him." I let out an annoyed sigh, curling my feet underneath myself as I sat on the sofa. Saying it all out loud was different from thinking it. It just confirmed it for me. What was his problem?

"Well... you could bake him a cake," she quickly interjected. I could almost see the light bulb illuminating over her head.

"A cake?" I pondered.

"Sure. Whenever Jane was upset or nervous about something at school, you always used to bake her a cake to make her feel better. Why not bake 'tall, dark and handsome' a cake. It wouldn't hurt."

Hmmm… My sister made a fair point. It was true, whenever Jane, Heidi, or even my father, were upset of nervous about anything in their lives, I always baked them something as a means of cheering them up. If Jane had a test to study for, or my dad had had a bad day at the station, I always baked them a cake as a way to ease their feelings.

"You know, that's not a bad idea," I smiled.

"See, I'm not just a pretty face," Heidi beamed. I giggled. My face suddenly became serious once more as I thought about Charlie.

"How's dad doing?" I asked softly.

I heard Heidi sigh on the other end of the phone. "As well as can be expected, I suppose. He's sleeping better, but his cough is getting worse. I had to spend the whole night awake with him a few days ago. He wasn't well at all, but he's picked up a little since then. It worried the life out of Jane."

I let out a soft breath of relief. "Thank god," I mumbled. Of all the things that I longed for from back home, it was the knowledge that my father was alright. He was not a well man and I knew this. His days were numbered and this was something where none of us could do anything to help. I just hoped the money I'd get at the end of the month would help him, if only a little.

It was at that moment that Alice decided to grace me with her presence. She came down the stairs, rubbing her tired eyes and yawning.

"I better go, Alice is awake," I said.

"Alright. Speak to you soon… and don't work too hard!" my sister ordered.

I smiled. "I won't. Bye, Heidi."

She said goodbye and hung up the phone, leaving the line dead. I put down the phone myself and turned to Alice. She rubbed her eyes and yawned once again as she slowly made her way into the living room. Her hair was stuck up in all different directions, giving a brand new meaning to the term 'bed-hair'!

"Morning, Sweetie," I said, smiling when I saw her.

"Morning, Bella," she replied. "Have you cooked breakfast?"

"No, but I can make you some. What would you like?"

After cooking Alice eggs and bacon for breakfast, I proceeded to tell her about my plan for baking a cake. I left out the little bit of information that the cake was a way to win over her stubborn brother, and told her that it would be something for us to do together instead. Her blue eyes lit up instantly at the mention of baking and she immediately ran up to her room to get dressed. Her excitement was contagious, and I felt my fists clench with anticipation.

Meanwhile, I searched the cupboards of the house, looking to see if we already had some of the ingredients. We didn't. In fact, the cupboards were strangely bare, hardly any food in them at all. I knew a trip to the supermarket was needed and it was needed soon. I would just get the ingredients for the cake and a few essentials today. I would wait till Esme came home with the car before I did the weekly shop.

When Alice finally came downstairs, I said "Get your shoes on, Alice. We need to make a quick stop at the supermarket."

Alice did as she was told, putting her pink jacket on too, and in no time at all, we were walking down the road heading to the supermarket.

The walk was about 20-30 minutes, nothing really for a 12 year old and a 20 year old. That was one of the first rules of being a nanny. _Allow the children to get as much exercise as possible_. So walking is what we did, Alice talking her little head off the whole way there. She always had something to say.

"And then Jasper said he would take me shopping… He normally hates shopping, but he said he wanted to come with me… And dad said he would give me some money to go… Jasper even promised to take me in the yellow Porsche… I love the yellow Porsche… Hey, what kind of cake are we making?"

"Chocolate," I said, finally managing to get a word in at last. How she found the breath in her lungs to speak so quickly would confuse me for life!

"I love chocolate cake. I can't even remember the last time I made cake. It's going to be fun, huh, Bella?"

"Sure is," I smiled.

We crossed the road and followed the main path into town. The weather didn't seem too bad today, though it wasn't as great as it had been on Wednesday. It was cloudy and windy, but the rain seemed to be gone, for the mean time at least. Still, there was a cold chill in the air.

We finally made it to the supermarket in record time. 17 minutes. Alice quickly grabbed us a basket and we proceeded inside, glad to be out of the cold.

First of all, we got the ingredients for the cake. Flour, eggs, butter, sugar and chocolate powder. Alice made sure to put plenty of everything into the basket claiming that we could easily make more than one.

"We should get cake-cases too," she added. "That way, we can make small ones as well as a big one."

She gave me an adorable look that I could not seem to say no to. I nodded my head, giving easily into her demands, and she quickly got the cake-cases. I'd never seen her so excited before in my life!… Well, apart from when Japer arrived. She claimed she hadn't made cakes in a long while, but I never realized she would be this happy about it. At least I knew an activity that Alice and I could do together from now on.

I just hoped that Edward would be as happy about the cake as Alice was. It was all for his benefit, after all. Alice's happiness was just a bonus.

Once we had everything for baking the cake, I decided to get the family something for dinner tonight.

"We haven't had Spaghetti Bolognese for a while," Alice said thoughtfully, tapping her chin. "We could have that."

"Well," I grinned. "That happens to be my specialty. Tonight, we are having Spaghetti a la Bella."

Alice laughed as we made our way through the aisles, collecting together what we needed. We put in the basket dried spaghetti, Bolognese sauce, minced beef, an onion and a few cloves of garlic.

By this time, the basket was getting rather full, so we proceeded to the checkout, Alice placing everything onto the till for the cashier to scan whilst I searched my purse for money. With everything bagged and paid for, Alice and I split the load between us and we finally made our way home.

"I don't think I even remember how to make cake," Alice said.

"Well, I'll teach you again. You'll soon get the hang of it after a while."

"I always preferred the eating part to the baking part anyway," she smiled, causing a tiny giggle to escape my lips. Alice never did fail to amuse me and I knew she never would.

"The last time I baked a cake was…" I thought for a short while. "It was probably before my dad quit work at the station. That was a few years back."

"Do you bake often?" she asked me.

"There was a time when I used to bake every day," I told her. "If my dad, or one of my sister's needed cheering up, I usually headed to the kitchen and baked for them. It always put a smile on their faces, and I found it somewhat therapeutic."

"So, how come your dad stopped working as a police officer?" she suddenly asked.

I was silent, and I swallowed. Hard.

I didn't really want to go into it, not today, anyway. Alice was only 12, I didn't want to depress her with the story of my mother's death and how it led to my father's breakdown, especially since the day had been going so well for me and her. We were in a happy mood, and I didn't want to spoil it. Alice must have noticed the touchy subject she had asked about as she quickly changed it. For this, is was beyond grateful to the little pixie.

"So, Spaghetti Bolognese, huh?"

xXx

Our journey home continued on in its happy fashion, Alice talking about clothes and Jasper, whilst I smiled and giggled at every little joke she made. She really was a lively child, so full of imagination and glee. Well, I say child, she was slowly becoming a young woman. It was only her small size that made her seem childlike. Still, I liked her company and I knew she enjoyed mine.

We walked home in relative contentment, enjoying each other's conversation… until the heavens decided to open up and the first drops of rain began to fall down upon us.

_Oh, wonderful!_

"Ah, rain!" Alice cried, trying to shield her head with the grocery bags. "It'll ruin my hair."

In just a few mere seconds, the rain began to fall thicker and heavier, and in no time at all, a downpour had begun.

"We're about 10 minutes from home, so we're going to have to run," I told Alice. She did as she was told and we quickened our pace, running through the pouring rain as fast as we could.

I should have known that this would happen really. We lived in Forks, the rainiest town in the whole of America. It was a stupid idea to leave the house without at least an umbrella. Alice managed to put the hood of her coat over her head, whilst I found I had nothing. The rain fell hard, wetting my hair and causing it to stick to my neck. My teeth began to chatter from the cold.

We quickly crossed the road and continued our run until I heard a sudden bang and a cry behind me. I turned around to see Alice sprawled across the floor, holding onto her knee for dear life, the contents of her bags rolling everywhere.

"Alice!" I said, running to her side. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"No. I slipped and fell," she answered holding back the tears. "My knee really hurts."

"Ok, sweetie," I said, trying to form a plan in my head. "Do you think you can walk?"

She shook her head. "It really hurts, Bella."

"Alright," I said, quickly gathering the lost items and placing them back in the bags. I had no idea how I was going to carry both Alice and the shopping bags home. "I'm going to need you to carry the bags whilst I carry you. Ok?"

_Great! How am I going to manage this?_

And then, it was almost as if someone was looking down on me, sending me a miracle. I could have cried, I really could. A car came out of nowhere, speeding down the road until it reached us. Through the falling rain, I managed to identify it as a silver Volvo. It stopped beside us and the driver got out, rushing to our aid.

"Edward!" I exclaimed, more out of shock than anything. How the hell did he knew we were here and in trouble?

_Who cares! He's here, isn't he? Just help Alice._

"Bella, is she hurt?" he said as he immediately crouched at my side. The rain fell down heavier, his bronze hair turning a dark brown, sticking to his forehead.

"She slipped and hurt her knee," I explained quickly. "We were trying to get out of the rain."

"Ok," he said, taking her from my arms. "I'll get her into the car whilst you put the bags into the trunk."

He hurried her into the back seat whilst I put the bags away as fast as I could. I quickly hurried into the car myself, closing the door behind me, glad to be somewhere dry. Edward must have put the heating on as the car was blasting warmth when I entered. It felt unbelievably good compared to the cold rain outside.

"Here," Edward said from the driver's seat. He handed me a fluffy towel. "Dry yourself with this before you catch a cold. Is the car warm enough?"

"Uh, yes. Thank you," I replied, running the towel through my hair, drying it as best as I could.

"You ok back there, Alice?" Edward asked.

I turned around to see her lying across the back seat, her leg propped up. Her wet coat had been removed and she had a towel of her own. She was drying her wet face.

_Why does he conveniently have towels?_

Alice nodded before Edward revved up the engine and headed down the road.

Rain battered off the windscreen, making it somewhat difficult to see where we were going, so I could not tell how far from home we were. Even so, Edward managed to navigate his way around with ease, turning the car around corners when he came to them. The drive was silent as I held my cold hands in front of the heater, allowing them to finally warm up.

"God, that feels good," I murmured, sniffing my nose a little.

"You should have called me," Edward said, his tone stern yet concerned. "I would have come to pick you up immediately."

"I forgot my cell phone," I admitted, feeling a little stupid. "How did you find us, anyway?"

Edward was hesitant with his answer. "I was just driving around, clearing my head, when I spotted you."

"It's a good job you did," I said. "There's no way I could have got the shopping _and _Alice home. Thank you, Edward."

A smile finally played on Edward's lips and his voice turned soft. "You're welcome. Just… call me next time, ok?" He looked at me then, his eyes expectant.

I nodded and flushed. "I will."

"Good," he replied before looking back at the road again.

The rest of the drive was spent in a comfortable silence, the rain easing somewhat, allowing me to finally see the road. We finally pulled up at the house where Jasper was waiting expectantly at the front window, looking out at us. He hurried out to help us as Edward killed the engine, the two of us getting out of the car. Jasper's face contorted into one of deep concern when he saw Alice's tear stained face in the back seat.

"What the hell happened?" he asked as he helped her out the car and carried her in his arms.

"She fell," I explained as Edward and I carried in the bags. "I think she's bruised her knee." We quickly entered the warm house and shut the door behind us.

"It really hurts, Jasper," Alice whimpered.

"It's ok, Alice. I have you." He looked to Edward and I. "I'll bandage her up until Carlisle gets back have a look at her," Jasper explained as he carried the pixie into the living room. Edward, on the other hand, helped me carry the bags into the kitchen.

We placed them on the island counter in the middle of the room and I began rummaging through them, checking for any damage from Alice's fall. I could already see that a few of the eggs were smashed.

"You really should go warm up," Edward told me, looking at my wet clothes. "Go take a warm shower or a bath or something. You shouldn't stay in those wet clothes."

"I'll be fine. I need to unpack the groceries first," I said opening up the first bag.

Suddenly his hands were on mine, gently pulling them from the bag. I looked up into his eyes and found them staring intently into mine.

"Bella. You're soaked though and your shivering. Go get warmed up and I'll put the groceries away."

The concern and worry in his eyes caused my stomach to flutter strangely. I swallowed back the nervous lump that appeared in my throat.

"A-Are you sure," I said.

He smiled. "I think I can handle a few groceries, Bella. Now go, before you catch a cold."

I did as I was told, hurrying upstairs and having a quick shower before changing into a t-shirt and sweats. I brushed my hair through, allowing it to dry naturally and I quickly made my way downstairs as fast as I could, curious as to how Edward and gotten on putting away the groceries. I found him in the kitchen, staring at the cake cases.

"Are you making cakes?" he asked, looking to me once I'd entered the room.

"Yes," I nodded. "Chocolate ones. I hope you like them. I was going to bake you one… if that's ok."

Suddenly, his eyes went soft, an apologetic smile gracing his lips. "I don't eat cake. Sorry."

_He… doesn't eat cake…_

"Oh," I said, my shoulders slumping somewhat in defeat. Well, that's my plan flying straight out of the window. The one thing I had, the one thing I knew would make him like me, he didn't even want. I go to all that trouble to buy all those ingredients, go through all that rain, all to find out that he does not eat cake. What was I going to do now?

"I'm on a… special diet," he explained to me, laughing once to himself. "I can't eat it."

"That's alright," I said, walking around to clear up the shopping bags. I tried my hardest to hide my disappointment. "Alice and I can still make them."

"Sorry," he murmured.

"It's fine," I said, plastering a fake smile on my lips.

All of a sudden, he put his hand on my shoulder as I walked past him. My heart fluttered as my breath caught in my throat. His hands really did send off sparks when he touched me.

"I really am sorry, Bella," he whispered, his voice ringing delightfully through my ear. "I didn't mean to disappoint you. Forgive me?"

I nodded my head, forgiving him as soon as the apology left his lips. How could I not? With his free hand, he slipped a loose piece of my wet hair behind my ear, his eyes carefully watching his delicate fingers as they ghosted over my temple and hair. Almost as soon as his fingers touched my hair, they were gone, vanishing completely. He walked past me, heading out of the kitchen. Then he stopped, turning to look at me.

"Still, thank you for thinking about me, Bella," he said sweetly, offering me a dazzling smile, almost causing my legs to turn into jelly. "I'm sure it will be an amazing cake."

And with that he left, leaving me to stand in the kitchen alone, my eyes fixed on the doorway where he had just stood. My skin still tingled where his hands had touched my temple. A happy and content smile slowly slid across my lips as I finally found the strength to move around the kitchen to gather my ingredients.

After a warm and kind reaction like that, perhaps I didn't need to bake a cake for Edward to like me after all.


	7. Running for life

_Hello all! _

_A huge thanks to flock6, teamedwardtwilightfan, Natalie51, StormRain0904, WeFallForever, sujari6, Twilightluver2127, MacNNcheese95, Missbe93, lynne0731, Snusa, Cina's, mommymac0508 and mixmatched9 for their reviews. Thank you!_

_So, major plot movement in this chapter, which makes this one longer than normal. I've re-written this chapter so many times, and I'm still not 100% happy with how I've written it, but I knew I had to get this chapter out for you all to read. I just hope you like the way I've done it. Let me know what you think._

_Also, I have a story recommendation that I feel I must make. It isn't a Twilight story, but if there are any Wuthering Heights fans out there, then I recommend reading this story. Its called 'The Heights' and it is written by Star18. It's a modern day version of WH and I have to say, it's amazing. It's very well written and the modernization of the original story is very well done. Since WH is my favorite book, I automatically love it! Lol. But I would also like others to know about such a brilliant story. So if you have any spare time, please go and check it out. Its on my profile under my favorites. You won't be disappointed._

_This chapter is named after "Running for Life" by Eliza Doolittle. She's a fairly new singer over here in the UK, but she's rather good. I recommend her song 'Pack Up'. It's awesome!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, though if Mrs. Meyer wishes to lend me Edward for a week, I would happily oblige. _

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

On Saturday morning, I was called away from my breakfast by a loud knock on the door. Esme rushed to answer it, only to find the mailman standing there, asking for me. I stood up from my seat at the table, abandoning my bowl of cereal, and quickly made my way to the door.

"Miss Isabella Swan?" he asked me.

"Uh, yes," I replied, wrapping my dressing gown tighter around my body. I had my nightclothes on underneath it, but I still didn't feel very presentable.

He handed me a piece of paper, writing covering one side of it.

"A package has been sent to you and I'm going to need you to collect it, if that's alright, Miss."

"Of course," I smiled, taking the paper from his hands. I bid him goodbye, closed the door, and made my way back to my breakfast.

I knew exactly what this was, and the smile refused to leave my face as I sat back down to my breakfast. It was a package from back home. Since she didn't want me getting homesick, Heidi had told me that she had put a few things together for me to remind me of home. There were photos, clothes, and general knick-knacks. It would be like having a piece of Phoenix all the way over here in Forks. Heidi was scared that I would forget home if I didn't have something to remind me of it. I merely laughed at her concerns; I would never forget home. Never. Still, I could not wait to pick the package up.

She said the box was not too big, and that it would be easy to carry, so I decided to walk in to town to retrieve it. Learning from yesterday's mistake, I knew I would take an umbrella with me this time. I didn't want to get stuck in another sudden downpour again!

I knew I would have to go out on my own too. Normally, I would have taken Alice with me, but she was still a little upset over her knee. She had merely scrapped it, but Alice, the drama queen as always, refused to leave her room, claiming she was bed ridden until she was well again. Carlisle just rolled his eyes at his daughter's over-the-top attitude. He had cleaned her wound and bandaged her knee once he had returned home from the hospital last night. He said there was nothing wrong with her and that Alice was just being silly, but she stuck to her story and refused to leave her bed.

Jasper, as always, was putty in her hands. He stayed by her side all night and he did everything she asked. He fetched her water, puffed up her pillows, and retrieved whatever she liked. She really did have him wrapped around her little finger. Esme was the same, helping her little girl in any way possible until she was healed. I just found the whole thing amusing. Only Alice could scrape her knee and still manage to get everyone to treat her as if she had broken her leg! She was truly one clever pixie.

No matter, I was still looking forward to my walk and to getting my package. I hurriedly ate my breakfast, washed my dish, and quickly made my way to my room to change as fast as I could.

"Hey, slow down, Speedy Gonzales," laughed Edward as I almost collided with him in the hallway.

"Oh, good morning, Edward," I said as I walked past him, though it was more of a jog. I finally reached my door.

"Good morning, Bella. Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

_He's… making conversation with me. Perhaps yesterday had worked after all!_

And the more I looked at him, the more I agreed. His body seemed fairly relaxed, his hands hanging by his sides rather than fisted like they usually were. His jaw was no longer set and his breathing was relatively normal. And his smile, it seemed… genuine. Had Edward finally taken to me like the rest of his family had?

"I have to run into town to get a package that my sister has sent me," I told him as I placed my hand upon my door handle.

"I… I could take you there… if you wanted, of course."

His fingers began to fidget a little at his sides, but it wasn't like a normal fidget. He wasn't uncomfortable like usual, he was nervous. He seemed almost… bashful.

"Thank you. That's real kind of you, but it's fine," I told him. "I want to walk, you know? Get some fresh air."

"Oh, ok," he said as I opened my bedroom door. "Just don't forget your umbrella this time." He began to chuckle to himself before turning and making his way downstairs. I took one last glance down the hallway before I hurried into my room, leaning back on the door the second I closed it.

Well, that had certainly been… nice. Apart from the fact that I was in my dressing gown with a bad case of bed-hair to embarrass me, it seemed that Edward and I were getting better at our conversations. Yesterday must have been a real turn-around, one that I had been searching for since I first met him. He had been relaxed, cool, and calm, not a single indication that he was uneasy. I didn't need cake to win him over, I had just been myself and that appeared to have done the trick!

But despite his kind efforts to take me to fetch my parcel, I really did want to go alone. It wasn't that I was being unsociable or rude, I just wanted to explore. I had been in Forks for over a week, and I had yet to see the place properly. The most I had done was the trip to the supermarket yesterday, and that had been one simple road. I wanted to see what else Forks had to offer. It was the greenest place I had ever seen, nature growing everywhere you looked. I wanted to discover that nature for myself.

Finally standing upright, I headed over to my wardrobe, changing quickly and brushing my hair through. I put my coat on, slipped my pocket umbrella and the note from the mailman into my purse, and quickly made my way downstairs. I shouted my goodbyes to Esme, and I finally left the house.

The air was a little chilly that morning, so I quickly zipped my coat up all the way to my chin. I let out a breath and looked at my surroundings. Today was a day of exploration and discovery, so instead of turning right and heading down the driveway onto the main road, I turned left instead, deciding to walk through the woods on my way to the post office.

The woods I walked through could only be described as beautiful. The colors of the leaves on the trees were so rich and green that they seemed almost fairytale to look at, almost like a child's painting. The trees were tall too, the last remnants of yesterdays downpour falling gracefully to the ground below as the wind shook the branches. The trunks of the tree were brown and fierce, just like their leaves.

It wasn't just the plant life that was amazing, the wildlife was too. As I walked through the woods, several birds flew up above me, making me jump when they left their perches in the tall trees. They chirped and sang, making the whole experience that little bit more pleasant and enchanting. Squirrels ran across the ground in front of me, climbing trees and searching for food. I even saw a deer or two run past! It was all truly magical to behold.

I'd had my reservations about Forks. It was rainy, it was cold, it was the exact opposite of Phoenix, the home I loved so much. But after seeing the town in all its glory, after I'd seen what it had to offer, I knew I completely adored the place. After seeing it now, looking so beautiful and wonderful, it was impossible to hate Forks. I was glad I was here, and I hoped I would be here for a while to come.

After half an hour or so of trekking, I finally made it to civilization. The hustle and bustle of town appeared out of the bushes and I was soon at the Post Office. I waited in the long queue as people came and went. It was strange looking at these people, so pale from the lack of sunshine, especially compared to the people back home.

The residents of Forks were a close knit group, Esme and Rosalie had told me this. Being a town of such a small population, almost everyone knew each other. The place was friendly and welcoming because of this, but news in the town always traveled fast. If something happened, be it serious or scandalous, the whole town would know about it within the hour. I found this both sweet and disconcerting. It was nice to have such a close and happy community, but sometimes there are things you don't want people to know.

How can you hide secrets in a place like this?

My musings were finally broken when I was called from the front of the queue to the desk. I handed the lady behind the counter my note from the mailman and my driver's license as I.D, and she soon gave me my package, wishing me good day as I left.

My package wasn't overly big, just small enough so that I could carry it home comfortably. The address was written on the front, scrawled in Heidi's neat handwriting, and, from merely looking at it, I wanted to get home so that I could see its contents. So, with a smile on my face, I hurried from town and back through the forest, wanting to see the beautiful scenery once again.

Remembering my previous path through the trees, I walked through the plant life once again, looking at everything that grew there. This time, I saw flowers that I had missed during my previous journey. All sorts of flowers grew upon the ground, all the colors blurring to create a rainbow of beauty. More birds flew past and more creatures made their way through the woods, just like I was.

Yes, Forks was definitely growing on me more and more each second.

That was when I heard a noise or, more accurately, voices. There were several voices, all of them relatively hushed, obviously not wanting to be heard. They clearly weren't doing a very good job at this as I could hear them as clear as day. From what I could make out, they were male, older male, and there was more than one. I continued to walk, the voices getting louder with each step I took. A few times they laughed and a few times they shouted, all the time getting louder and nearer.

Finally, I saw who the voices belonged to. I stepped forward and saw a group of about four men, standing by an overhanging tree, deep in discussion, smoke from their cigarettes flying high into the air.

_Hmmm… I don't think that's tobacco they're smoking._

I was right; they were men, tall men with baseball caps and large coats. They couldn't have been any older than mid-twenties. All were laughing and smoking, complete with beer cans. One even had a tall bottle of something, but I wasn't sure what. Knowing that men like these were usually up to no good, I kept my head down and walked past them without a word.

"Hey, Sweetheart," one of them suddenly shouted, his words slightly slurred. "You got the time?"

I stopped walking. Realizing that I would just have to pacify them in order to get away without any bother, I looked to my watch. "It's 11 o'clock," I said, before I continued walking, picking up the pace if only a little.

_Drinking at 11am? Weirdoes!_

I heard their footsteps behind me, crunching on the foliage that lay upon the ground. I swallowed and walked even faster.

"Hey, Babe, do you want a drink?" one of them asked me, causing the others to laugh. I ignored their stupid suggestions and continued to walk. It seemed that they continued to follow. "Come on, don't be like that, we just wanna talk," another one said. "If you don't want to drink, that how about a cigarette?" I ignored them once again, changing my direction, heading back to the main road. That way, I would be out in the open and people would be able to see me. But soon, they were walking alongside me, crowding around me and blocking me in, easily able to keep up with my pace. I began to panic.

Why did I always have to get the freaks following me? All I wanted was a quiet walk into town so that I could collect my package, and then a peaceful walk back home so that I could enjoy the scenery. But no. I was Isabella Swan, wasn't I? Since when did things go smoothly for Isabella Swan?

One of them suddenly stood in front of me, causing me to halt my walking completely. I finally looked up into the man's face. His eyes were blood shot, no doubt from the alcohol and whatever he was smoking. A disgusting smirk slid slowly onto his lips when he saw my face.

"Well now," he began. "Aren't you a pretty little thing."

"Please move. I want to go home," I stated in a strong tone, showing that I didn't want to be messed about and that I wasn't afraid. I clutched my fingers a little tighter around my package.

"Aw, she wants to go home," the man said to his other friends, pretending to cry. I wasn't amused.

Suddenly, the one behind me grabbed my arm, turning me round and causing my package to slip to the ground, sounding with a thump.

"Well," he said. "I want to play."

"Let me go," I said, my voice a little bumpy, my nerves on edge. I didn't quite know what to do. Being surrounded by four, strong looking guys wasn't on my to-do list today. Screaming for help would be useless. Not only was I in the middle of a huge and deserted forest, but I wasn't sure what they would do if I did. I could end up even worse that I was now.

"Fine, we'll let you go," one of the men said. "Right after we've played for a while."

Another one grabbed me and pulled me too him, taking my chin in his hand. He looked my face over. "You're right," he said. "She is pretty. I wonder of the rest of her is good looking too." With his free hand, he suddenly cupped my ass, causing me to yelp in both shock and fear. He laughed to himself at my obvious discomfort, seemingly enjoying it…

And then… he was gone.

In the blink of an eye, he wasn't there. He'd completely disappeared. I was free of his grip and I gasped at his quick departure. I stared at the spot where the man had once been, confusion etched on my face. That was when a cry and a bang sounded in the distance, causing not only me, but the other three men to freeze in fear.

"W-what the fuck is going on? Where's Joe," the tallest man said, fear laced in his voice. I looked around the forest, wondering what had actually happened to Joe. One minute he was there, and the next he was gone. I did not understand. My heartbeat suddenly picked up when I heard a rustling coming from my left. The men must have heard it too as we all looked to the sound at the same time.

My eyes widened and the rustling stopped as Edward emerged to stand before us.

_What the hell is he doing here?_

I was beyond thankful for his presence. He could take me home and get me away from these creeps. I was saved! But… how had he been here in the first place? How did he know where I was?

But that was when I looked at him properly and could really register what I was seeing.

Edward looked pissed. Beyond pissed. His body was tense, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. He stood tall and proud and he looked pretty intimidating. His chest was rising and falling quickly as he breathed heavily. His jaw was set as his lips were pressed into a tight line. His eyebrows pointed downwards in anger. As I stared at his eyes, I saw what I had known all along - they were completely black.

"Who the hell are you?" one of men asked, stepping forward. "Where's Joe?"

"Get away from her," Edward snarled at the man. "Now."

"I asked you a question," the man said, trying to stand his ground. His friends refused to move, no doubt scared. And I could not blame them. In that moment, Edward looked truly terrifying. "Who are-"

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!" Edward shouted at the top of his lungs, causing my heart rate to pick up even more. Even I was scared now.

"Ha!" one of the men said, stepping forward and taking another swig out of his bottle. He wobbled a little on his feet. "What are you gonna do if I don't, kid?" He grabbed my arm tightly, pulling me towards him. I gasped at the man's sudden touch. He was not gentle in his grip and I knew I would have bruises. "You gonna take us all on?"

That was when Edward showed them exactly what he would do.

Letting out a deep growl from his chest, he leapt at the man, his sharp teeth bared…

_Whoa! Hang on… Sharp teeth?_

The man let go of me instantly, crying in terror. Edward grabbed him, his mouth heading straight for the man's neck… and then he bit him.

I froze.

I could not move, no matter how much I willed my body to do so. I was as still as a statue as I gazed at the sight before me, not quite believing if it was real or just a figment of my imagination. Blood trickled gently down the man's neck as my eyes slowly widened in horror.

What the hell was happening?

Edward was biting the man and… drinking his blood.

The bile slowly rose in my throat, pushing its way up, but I miraculously managed to hold it back. I felt physically sick as my frozen body slowly began to tremble. I clung onto the tree next to me for support, my eyes not leaving Edward once. He was like a ravenous animal, clinging to the man for dear life, drinking his blood and making growling noises, making me question my sanity. This wasn't real, it couldn't be. How could Edward do something like this? It just wasn't human, it was completely fantasy. He was no longer the polite Edward who had greeted me this morning…

He looked like a monster.

After a few moments, Edward finally dropped the man to the floor. The man did not move as he hit the ground, and I knew instantly what had happened. He was dead. I let out a whimper as the sound of the man's lifeless body hit the forest floor with a thump, and in that moment, I feared for my life.

Before my very eyes, Edward Cullen had murdered a man in a way that was like something from a horror film, and he didn't show a single ounce of remorse. In fact, he looked to the other two men, almost as if he was about to do the same to them. My tear filled eyes finally looked up to Edward's face, afraid of what I would see. Blood surrounded his mouth, dripping down his chin as he stared menacingly at the two remaining men. I managed to hold back my scream and my utter terror.

But then I saw his eyes... They weren't black _or_ gold. They were bright red.

My trembling body began to violently shake and I knew I had to save myself somehow. Edward was a killer, I had seen it for myself. I had to protect myself and get away from him as fast as possible. So I did. Without a single thought for the two remaining men, I ran. I literally bolted, running as fast as my legs would carry me, heading through the trees and back to the house. I ignored Edward's voice as he called after me, I ignored my sister's parcel which was still lying somewhere in the forest, I ignored the tears that were streaming down my cheeks in waterfalls. I just ran.

This wasn't real, it wasn't. It couldn't be. I would wake up tomorrow morning and it would all be a dream. Yeah, a dream. Edward would just be a normal person with a normal life and I would continue on as normal. None of this would have happened.

But as my legs pushed forward, I knew I was lying to myself. I hadn't dreamt what I had just seen. Two men had been murdered and the other two would no doubt follow in their path. Edward was a murderer, and nothing could change that. He was a murderer…

_Oh god…_

Finally, the house was in sight and I headed straight for the front door, relief settling in. I banged on it with everything I had once I reached it.

"Let me in!" I cried. "Please. Let me in! Jasper, Carlisle. Help! Please!"

My fists were red and sore when Esme finally opened the door. Her face was full of confusion as she looked at my sorry state. I fell into her arms when I saw her, my tears soaking her dress.

"Oh my goodness, Bella, whatever is the matter?" she cooed in deep concern as she put her arm around me and led me inside.

"It's Edward," I sobbed as she sat me on the sofa. I collapsed against her chest, needing her security in that moment. "He was in the forest… And-and four men attacked me… He came and f-found them… He… He…"

"Sweetheart, I cant understand you," Esme said softly, brushing my hair away from my forehead. "You need to slow down."

"What's going on?" questioned Carlisle as he entered the living room. He saw my hysterics and rushed to my side. "Bella, what's wrong, what happened?" His voice was etched with a fatherly concern.

I tried my very hardest to control my sobs. "Edward w-w-was in the f-forest," I began, just as the front door swung open. I stiffened in Esme's arms when I saw Edward enter the house and make his way over to us.

"Bella. Let me explain," he began gently. "Please." He approached me cautiously.

"No... No. Stay the hell away from me," I seethed, backing further into Esme's arms. My breath came out in short bursts, but I felt a little safer. Surely he wouldn't do anything to me in front of his parents.

"Bella, please," he pleaded as he softly put his hand on my shoulder.

"GET AWAY!" I screamed, causing him to shoot his hand away, almost like he'd just touched a hot coal. Esme held me just a little tighter.

"Edward, what the hell is going on?" asked Carlisle. He looked to his son, his face stern. "What did you do to her?"

Edward ran his hands through his hair, pulling it in every direction. He let out an agitated breath. "She knows," he whispered.

_Damn right I know! I know that your son is a cold blooded killer!_

Carlisle's eyes widened, disbelief and annoyance crossing his features. "But how?" he asked, his face softening a little. It softened a little too much for my liking. My eyebrows furrowed. "We said not to tell her yet."

"I didn't mean for her to find out," Edward retaliated. "She was in trouble. I wasn't just going to leave her there."

_Hang on… Carlisle and Esme know?_

The bile in my throat rose just a little bit more. I suddenly pulled myself from Esme's arms, feeling even more disgusted. Three pairs of eyes locked onto my trembling body as I slowly backed away from them. I clutched at my chest as it heaved in heavy breaths.

"This isn't real," I said, though it was more to myself. "This can't be real."

Edward was a killer, and his parents knew this. This was madness, absolute madness. These people didn't live in the real world. I didn't understand, and a part of me was too terrified to find out the truth. I just wanted to be sick.

"Bella-" Esme began, but I cut her off.

"What is going on?" I asked in as steady a voice as I could manage. "Please tell me, because I think I might be going insane here."

"Bella, please sit down and we'll explain," said Esme, holding out her hand for me to take. I didn't take it. Instead, I reluctantly just sat down on the nearest chair incase my legs gave out, maintaining a distance between myself and whoever these people were. I would hear them out, I would give them that much. They had been kind and welcoming to me so far, so I knew there was good in them. So for that reason, I allowed myself to listen to what they had to say.

Carlisle carefully approached me, kneeling down in front of me when he reached me. I stayed perfectly still, watching his every move. I made sure to keep a guard up.

"Don't be scared," he said when he saw how my hands shook. "I know that we appear to have given you reason not to trust us at the minute, but please, hear us out and then make a decision for yourself."

I made no indication that I accepted this, but Carlisle continued anyway.

"This is something that we thought we could keep from you, at least for a time. We wanted to sit you down and discuss this whole thing with you properly, we didn't want you to find out in this manner."

"You have to trust us, Sweetheart. We didn't mean to upset or scare you like this. But no more secrets, we will tell you the absolute truth," Esme quickly interjected. "I promise."

"What truth?" I said. "That your son is a disgusting and vile killer?"

"Bella, don't say that. Please," Edward said, and I saw hurt in his red eyes over my words. Yesterday, seeing that hurt would have made me feel guilty and apologetic. But now? I couldn't give a damn.

"But that's what you are," I said. "I saw you with my own eyes. You killed that man, you took his life, Edward." I could feel my tears building again. Yes, that man had toyed with me, but he did not deserve death. None of them did.

"He was going to hurt you," he defended.

"So you killed him?" I asked, raising my voice. Suddenly, I wasn't scared anymore. I was angry. "None of them deserved death, none of them. And from the sound of it, you do this kind of thing all the time. How could you kill them? How could you kill _anyone_?"

He remained silent, looking down at the floor from where he stood, running his hands through his hair once again. No, I didn't want his silence, I wanted an explanation. I wanted to know why he thought it was right to murder someone, just for teasing me. I wanted to know what could have possibly been going through his head in that very moment or in the moment when he stole a person's life. I stood up from my seat, Carlisle quickly moving out of my way, and I marched up to Edward.

"How could you?" I asked, poking his chest as hard as I could. "Huh? Do you get off on it or something? Does it excite you? Do you enjoy it? Tell me. How could you? How, how, how?"

Suddenly he grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks. I swallowed as he looked me in the eye and spoke.

"To survive. I do it to survive."

The air left my body and my heart thumped. I shook my head. "You're sick," I whispered. "You're absolutely disgusting, you know that? How can killing possibly help you to survive?"

"Because…" he looked to Carlisle before looking back to me. "Because I'm… I'm a vampire, alright? We all are."

The next sound I heard was laughter, and I didn't realize that it was coming from me until I really thought about it. But I just couldn't stop. The laughter left my lips, filling the room and echoing throughout the house. They were vampires! My laughter got louder the more I thought about it.

How deluded was he? Vampires aren't real. They only appear in books and films. Perhaps it was some gross roll-play thing that he liked to do. Perhaps he just had an overactive imagination or something. They weren't vampires. Vampires have amazing speed and cold skin. Vampires are ridiculously beautiful and drink blood…

And suddenly, the laughs morphed into gasps and whimpers as reality hit me like a slap in the face. The Cullens _did_ have amazing speed and cold skin. They _were_ ridiculously beautiful. And Edward _had_ consumed blood not ten minutes ago.

"Oh my god," I whispered as I looked at Edward's eyes. Red, just like vampires. "You're lying. Please tell me you're lying."

"Bella, look at me," Edward said softly, lessening his grip on my arm, allowing it to drop to my side. "Look at what I am, look at what I just did. I'm a vampire, and you know it."

"But vampires aren't real," I said, shaking my head in denial. "They only exist in books and films. They aren't real."

I felt Esme's cold hand upon my shoulder. "We didn't want you to find out like this, Sweetie. We wanted to tell you properly."

I shook my head, realizing how insane I was. Not because I was hearing these people tell me they were vampires, but because a part of me believed every word they said. The evidence made perfect sense. Edward's speed when he drove his car and approached the men in the forest, the cold touch of everyone's marble skin, their beauty and ridiculous good looks, the fact that Edward never ate my cake due to his special diet, the way Edward drank that man's blood right in front of me, the strange eyes they all seemed to have. They were vampires, each and everyone of them. Apart from…

"Alice," I quietly murmured. Alice was different, she held none of those characteristics. Yes, she was a very pretty little girl, but her eyes were blue and normal. Her skin was warm and soft. She ate food and had no amazing speed that I could think of. Alice wasn't a vampire, she couldn't be.

"Human," Carlisle stated.

"So, what, she's dinner or something?" I said, smiling dryly at the joke I made.

"No," Edward answered. "She's too young to be one of us. We will give her the choice to change when she is old enough."

"You'll give her a choice?" I stared incredulously. "So, she knows about you?" I really did sound mad.

"Yes," Esme began. "When Alice's family died, we took her in and raised her ourselves. We told her what we were from the start-"

"But you didn't tell me?" I said, cutting her off. "I've been here for over a week and you never thought to tell me once?"

"We wanted to tell you in a much more sensitive way," Carlisle said.

"When?" I asked, folding my arms.

"When we thought you were ready," Esme said. "Please, Dear, don't be mad at us."

"But you brought me into your home," I said. "You allowed me to live here and befriend you all. And all the time you were keeping something like this from me?"

Not only did I feel anger now, I also felt betrayal. I thought these people were my friends. I thought they liked me and cared for me, I never thought that they would do something like this to me. Never.

"We never meant to hurt you," Esme pleaded, and I could see the pain and anguish in her eyes. She was clearly remorseful over what had happened and I knew she was being genuine in her emotions. They all were.

I sat on the sofa then, needing a moment to take in all the information I had heard. This was enough to send anyone loopy. The things they were telling me, the things that they were… A normal person would have run for the hills by now.

But I couldn't.

As much as they had hurt me and upset me and shocked me, I could not go. Not yet, anyway. I could not leave Alice here alone with these people, I would never forgive myself if I did. Alice was a little girl who could not defend herself, so I had to be there for her. Whether she trusted them or not, I had seen Edward drink from a human. Who was to say they wouldn't turn on her one day? I had to be her protector, I had to be there for her when she needed me. No, I would not leave her.

I needed the money too. Charlie was getting worse and worse everyday. Without money, his last days would be hard. There would be no money to pay for the hospital bills and his medication. I had to stay here for my father's sake, as well as Alice's. As hard as it was to accept, it was the truth, so I knew I was trapped.

"Why me?" I suddenly asked. "Why am I here?"

"For Alice's sake," Esme said. "To give her that connection to the human world. It's not healthy for her to constantly live a vampire's life. She needs someone human in her life to create that balance."

I nodded, accepting this answer. Yes, Alice did need a human connection, and I would stay here with her for that reason. I had already decided that. I began playing with the hem of my shirt nervously, closing my eyes.

This really was information overload. How had I got myself into this mess? Why couldn't I have just taken a job back in Phoenix? Why did I have to be ambitious and travel to Washington to live with people that I clearly didn't know? Why? This changed everything now. Now I knew their secret, things would never be the same for me again…

"So what happens now?" I finally asked. The silence around me had been too deafening.

"Well, that's up to you, Isabella," Carlisle stated. "What do you want to do?"

I looked at him. "I want to stay," I said.

Carlisle nodded as Edward let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god," he murmured in a voice so quiet, I barely heard him.

"I can't in all good conscience leave Alice alone with vampires," I said. "It may take me a while to get used to this, but I'll stay."

"Thank you, Sweetheart," Esme smiled. "You don't know how happy that makes us."

Edward put a thankful hand on my shoulder, but I quickly shrugged it off. "Like I said, it's going to take a while for this to sink in." He soon removed it.

And it would take a while. I was living with vampires. Vampires! As mad and as crazy as it sounded, it was true. I was living in a house full of blood-thirsty vampires. I'll admit, I was scared, I was frightened, I was downright terrified. It would take a while for me to trust these people again and I knew life would be far from normal after today. But I had to stay here. For Alice's sake, for my father's sake, for my sanity's sake.

The Cullens were vampires, and nothing could ever change that…


	8. Hard times

_Hello!_

_A huge thanks to Coleen561, lynne0731, secretobsession7, sujari6, StormRain0904, mommymac0508, radar1999, Natalie51, WeFallForever, Cina's, mixmatched9 and Snusa for their reviews. Thank you so much!_

_Well another day another chapter. I think we have heard enough of Bella for now, so lets take another look into Edward's head, shall we? After the last chapter, I believe he has a lot to think about!_

_As ever, let me know what you think._

_This chapter is named after "Hard Times" by Plan B. Plan B can only be described as amazing. I absolutely adore him and would happily recommend him to you all. Please go listen to his work, you wont be disappointed. I recommend the songs "She Said", "The Recluse" and "Welcome to Hell"._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, but I did go see the new Karate Kid film at the weekend. It was brilliant, and Jaden Smith is the cutest thing I have ever seen lol._

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Edward Cullen's Point of View

It had been three weeks since the events of Bella's sudden discovery of what we were, and things had been… well… hard. Even I, a vampire who had lived through two world wars, several arrivals of disease and the deaths of everyone I knew, found these weeks to be some of the hardest of my entire existence. It wasn't the fact that the atmosphere of the house had changed, it wasn't the fact that everyone was now on edge, it wasn't even the fact the secret was out. It was the fact that Bella was different.

She was no longer herself, no longer the happy and cheerful person she had always been. I rarely saw her smile these days and her whole demeanor was different. She spent the majority of her time alone or in either Alice's or Jacob's company. In fact, she spent rather a lot of time with our chauffeur, discussing what she had found out about my family. Since he knew our secret too - we couldn't exactly keep what we were from the help - he always pacified her with conversation. She avoided my family like the plague, interacting with us only when necessary. She refused to look us in the eye, staying by Alice whenever she could.

My singer was unhappy, and it was killing me to see.

Before my very eyes, she was becoming a shadow of the person she once was. She was no longer happy, joyful, or full of glee. She was now tense, dejected, and low. She had said that it would take a while for her to trust us again after discovering what we were, but I didn't realize it had gotten this bad. Telling her our secret was something we had wanted to tell her properly. We had wanted to sit her down and discuss it with her, giving her the information gently so as not to shock her too much.

But when I saw those men touching her, when I read their minds and discovered what they wanted to do to her, I just cracked. Nobody touches her. Nobody. Isabella was my singer, _mine_. No-one else's. I saw red and just attacked them. I couldn't give a fuck what the consequences of my actions were, all I saw was Bella in danger and I knew I had to get her out of it.

So I killed them. I killed every last one of them. Bella was scared and she ran, but I still remained to show these guys that nobody touches her whilst I'm around. I drained them, drop by drop, tasting human blood again for the first time in decades.

It repulsed me.

Human blood, the one thing a vampire could never resist, I didn't want it. It tasted like shit as it trickled down my throat and into my body. It killed the aching burn there, but I hated myself for drinking it. I'd felt that way ever since meeting Bella. I'd always shied away from human blood as I refused to be a monster, but now when I drank it, it felt like I was drinking from _her_, and I detested myself for doing that.

Bella was not something to drink from, she was something to preserve and worship. She was kind, and funny, and innocent, all these characteristics being things I'd found out over the week she had been here. Bella was not dinner, she would never be dinner. Bella was someone to keep alive and unharmed. I could never allow anything or anyone to hurt her.

But these men had to pay for what they had done and for what they had been about to do. How they could harm someone like her had been beyond me. The sick bastards could not get away with what they did, so I drained them, burning their bodies once I was done. Nothing would hurt Bella whilst I was around. Nothing.

This was all fantastic in theory… until I saw Bella's reaction. The utter fear and terror in her eyes struck hurt in me unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Seeing her trembling body made me feel regretful for the first time in my immortal life. Bella was scared, but the thing she was scared of was me. I had promised to protect her, to watch out for her, to save her from whatever threatened her. But in her eyes,_ I_ was the bad guy.

It hurt me deeper than I first thought it would. It stung my entire body, leaving an everlasting ache. She had every right to be scared of me; I was a monster after all, but it still didn't make the realization any easier to comprehend. It was I who she was scared of. Me. No matter how much it hurt me to know that, and believe me, it fucking hurt, it was still the undeniable truth. The thing I would have to protect her from and save her from was myself.

And I would.

I had to win her trust back, I had to make her see that I was her friend, I was her protector, that I didn't want to harm her in anyway. It was quite the opposite, in fact. Above everything else on this Earth, she was the one thing I would fight to keep alive and safe. Bella disliked me, and I knew I had to change that. Not just for her sake, but for my own too.

I couldn't live with the hatred my singer was feeling for me. It hurt beyond comprehension to know that the one thing I was obsessed with detested me. The one person in my life that I needed and wanted, the one thing that called to me like nothing else, the one thing I needed to have in order to go on living sanely, wanted nothing from me. She only wanted to be distanced from me. I had to get Bella back on my side, or else life would be hell if I didn't.

I had tried to win Bella back over the three weeks. Damn me to hell if I hadn't tried. Emmett called me whipped for the things I did to win Bella back, but I didn't care. All I wanted was her trust and friendship... No, I didn't want it, I _needed_ it.

I'd left her alone on the day she found out about us. She needed time to think and accept what she had heard. Hearing what we had told her was enough to fuck anyone up in the head. She needed to be alone with her thoughts and feelings, and just barging in on her, trying to be friends again, would have only made things worse and would have just pushed her away even more. That was the last thing I wanted; I couldn't bare it if things got worse than they already were.

The next day, I went out into the forest and arrived at my meadow deep within it. It was a meadow I had discovered during my first few weeks in Forks all those years ago. I was taken with it immediately and had been going there ever since. It allowed me peace and quiet and was a beautiful place to go to in order to get away from the world and its troubles. However, the one thing I loved about the meadow was its flowers. They were so beautiful and rich in color, growing tall and free there with nothing but me to disturb them. I picked Bella a bouquet of the most beautiful flowers I could find, hoping that she found all that shit nice, friendly and romantic.

I hurried back to the house in order to give them to her just before she woke up. She thanked me and accepted them, being the kind person she always was, but said nothing else. She took them and closed herself back in her room, away from the world. I still don't know what became of those flowers. Whether she kept them, tore them to pieces, threw them away… I wasn't sure. But her acceptance of them was something, right?

This proceeded for weeks. I'd give her flowers from the meadow, attempt conversation with her, help her with her chores, offer to assist her in looking after Alice. She always declined. She always kept conversation minimal. She accepted the flowers with no hint of what would happen to them next. I began to wonder if I was fighting a losing battle, but then I thought of life without my singer, and continued to pursue the fight to win her back.

Things had been progressively getting better though, at least they were through my eyes. Bella still wasn't 100% herself yet, that would take a long while coming, but she seemed to be warming back up to my family, if only a little. The warmth came in Esme's direction first. Bella would now initiate the conversation with her and she would smile a lot more around my mother. Esme's kindness was addictive, so I knew it wouldn't be long until she got back in Bella's good books.

Eventually, the rest of the family began to receive the same treatment. A smile here, a giggle there, Bella starting the conversation and seeking out members of my family to see them. Even I felt like I was making progress. She slowly began to accept my invitations to take her places instead of asking Jacob to take her. She had spent enough time with him as it was in my eyes. Getting her away from Jacob was just a bonus. When Emmett teased her, she began teasing back. When Rosalie offered to help her do her hair, she accepted. Whenever Esme offered to make her dinner, she said yes.

Bella was far from recovered. We would still get the cold shoulder at times, her smiles never fully reached the sides of her cheeks, her happy and joyful spirit was still half-hearted, but she was slowly and surely getting there.

And that was all I could ask for.

I was sitting in the living room, flicking through the TV channels when Bella decided to grace us with her presence that morning. Esme was with me as Bella slowly descended the stairs. She was half asleep and still in her bed clothes,, clearly showing that 'just woken up' look. I couldn't help but smile at how she looked. Any other girl would have been concerned that they looked terrible in a morning and would style their hair madly and plaster themselves with makeup and all that shit. But not Bella. She didn't care if she had no makeup, or if her hair was done up or not, just as long as she was comfortable. She was a beautiful girl, an angel in a human's body, in fact. She looked perfect in whatever she wore or looked like. And right now, she was the most adorable thing I had ever seen.

Her dressing gown was far too long for her arms, her hair stuck up in every direction possible and her mind, as usual, was silent.

Her silent mind was something that had been playing on my own mind for some time now, pissing me off like nothing else. I got nothing from her, absolutely nothing. It was like she didn't even have a brain! I just didn't understand why she, out of 6 billion people on this earth, was the one person who had a silent mind. Why couldn't I hear her yet I could everybody else? Carlisle put it down to the fact that she was my singer, and so everything about her seemed different to me. I didn't believe in this theory. Alice was Jasper's singer, yet he could still manipulate her emotions. Bella's mind was a mystery and I feared it always would be.

"Good morning, Bella," I said as she reached the bottom of the stairs. I had to attempt pleasantries in order to hurry her recovery.

"Good morning, Edward," she replied without looking at me before slipping into the kitchen.

I let out a sigh. Still no trust, she still wasn't herself. And I hated living like this. I wanted the old Bella back, I wanted the Bella who smiled at me and blushed at me. I didn't like what she had become, even though it was my fault she was like this in the first place.

I suddenly felt a hand upon my own. I looked up to see Esme's motherly face staring sweetly at me. "Don't worry, Dear. She'll come round eventually."

"I thought we were making progress with her," I admitted.

"We are. She is getting better, she's just not quite herself yet."

"But when will she be herself?" I asked.

Esme retreated her hand slowly. It seemed that she didn't have the answer to this question either. None of us did. But it was the one answer I craved beyond anything in this world.

I finally settled on a channel, but I barely watched the screen. My mind just kept flittering to the girl in the kitchen. She had been in there for a good 20 minutes, so I knew she was taking her time in whatever she was doing, no doubt to avoid us all. I wanted to get her trust back… I needed to get her trust back.

Finally deciding that enough was enough, I stood up from my seat and walked silently into the kitchen. I immediately saw Bella standing at the sink, washing up. Her heart wasn't in it as her eyes looked like they were a hundred miles away, stuck in a day dream. This was when she looked her most innocent and purest - when she didn't even realize she was doing something. Her hand was scrubbing mindlessly at the plate she held, but her head was elsewhere.

I yearned to know what she was thinking about. Normally, all the thoughts in my head were aggravating and horrible, but now I wanted to hear them more than ever. What could possibly be going through her mind? What was she thinking about? My family? What we were? What all of this would mean for her?… Me?

"Do you need any help?" I asked her, breaking the silence that had filled the kitchen.

She jumped at the suddenness of my voice, a gasp leaving her mouth. She obviously hadn't heard me enter.

"Oh, no thank you," she said before fully concentrating on the washing up.

"Are you sure?" I tried. "I can dry up or something if you want."

"I said, it's fine. I can do it," she burst, rubbing at the plate more vigorously.

I let out a breath. This wasn't getting me anywhere. How was I supposed to regain her trust again if she wasn't even giving me a chance to try? I didn't understand her. Some days, she would happily accept a ride into town from me, but some days she didn't even want to see me. I knew our secret was a lot to take in, but she had to start recovering soon. We were vampires, and nothing was going to change that.

"I'm not going to hurt you, you know," I began. "I know I'm a vampire, but you aren't in any danger."

Silence filled the air.

"How can you guarantee that?" she asked me, dropping her plate into the water and looking at me with her adorable doe eyes. "You killed those men easily enough, who is to say I'm not next?"

I took the few steps towards her and closed the gap between us. Cautiously, I raised my hand and rested it on her shoulder. She tensed up at my initial touch, but she eventually relaxed.

"Because I would never hurt you. Never," I whispered in earnest. "All I want to do is protect you, Bella."

She looked at me for a few brief moments, trying to see if I was telling the truth. I could see the debate brewing in her eyes, the fact that she was split over her fear of me and her friendship of me. A heavy silence hung in the room, and I knew if I had a heartbeat, it would be thumping wildly right now. Finally, she nodded.

"I know you wouldn't hurt me, Edward," she said, going back to her washing up. "But it's still going to take a while for it all to sink in."

"I understand that," I told her. "Just… give me a chance to prove myself to you. You can trust me, Bella. You can."

She looked back to me for a few seconds more, just about to answer, when Carlisle entered the kitchen.

"Edward, we need to talk to you in the living room. Bella, you better come for this too."

Bella quickly dried her wet hands and we hurried quickly into the living room. I was surprised to see the whole family there, all as confused as I was. It seemed a family meeting was on the cards. Bella took a seat beside Alice whilst I opted to sit on the floor.

"We're going to be having some visitors," Carlisle began immediately, not worrying about introductions.

"Who?" Jasper enquired.

"My old friends James, Laurent and Victoria," Carlisle answered. I saw Bella tense up at the mention of more vampires. "Emmett came across them whilst hunting this morning and they asked for shelter whilst they are passing through."

"How long are they staying for?" I asked, curiously.

"Just one night. They will be leaving in the morning."

"Is that wise considering we have Alice and Bella here?" I asked. It was bad enough that Bella had to live with my family of vampires without throwing three more into the mix. But it wasn't just that. James, Laurent and Victoria were not like us. They did not choose our diet, they preferred a meal of human blood instead. I did not want them around Alice and my singer.

"I could hardly say no to them, Edward," Carlisle defended. "They are old friends of mine and it is only one night, after all. They respect me enough to know that Alice and Bella are out of bounds."

I nodded, but I still wasn't convinced. When it comes to it, a vampire will cut all ties of friendship if it means getting blood. Blood is the one thing we will do anything for. We crave it, and we will do just about anything to get it. Just because they are friends with Carlisle does not necessarily mean they will leave the humans alone.

Jasper's thoughts seemed to be following my own. He did not trust them around his singer either. It seemed we would both be on guard tonight. After all, Bella is _my_ singer, no-one else's. I had to protect her at all costs, no matter what decided to come her way. I had promised myself that I would allow no harm to come to her, and I was determined to keep that promise, no matter the cost.

James, Laurent and Victoria did come. They came around 6 o'clock that night. They greeted Carlisle as old friends did. They were kindly and happy to see him as well as the rest of the family. They were courteous and polite and I seemed to get nothing negative from their thoughts. They just seemed pleased to see us more than anything.

_I'm not getting anything from their emotions_, Jasper communicated to me. _Perhaps they won't be so bad after all._

I nodded at him to tell him I'd heard. They seemed pleasant enough to me, but looks can be deceiving. Alice, optimistic as usual, had no problems what-so-ever in greeting our guests. She didn't seem to mind at all that they would happily drain her of every drop of her blood in 10 seconds flat. But that was Alice. Always happy and always seeing the best in everything. I sometimes wondered if we had spoilt Alice by letting her live with us. Yes, we were vampires, but we posed no danger to her as we didn't follow a human blood diet. So any other vampire that we came across, no matter their diet, the pixie would welcome them happily with open arms. Jasper would have to keep a special eye on her over the next few hours.

Bella, on the other hand, acted just as I expected her to. She was timid and dubious, never getting too close to any of our visitors. She smiled when she had to and she greeted them when they spoke to her, but otherwise she kept quiet and out of the way. I kept my eye on her, as well as James and Laurent. Victoria was usually well behaved, but James and Laurent had been known to stray in the past, particularly James.

I'd never been able to trust vampires on a human blood diet, especially since we had taken Alice in, and this meant more now that Bella had entered my life. Who was to say that they could turn at any moment? Yes, they promised to leave the humans alone, but one smell of that blood and it could be entirely over. Trying to stop a vampire mid-feed was next to fucking impossible. The only coven I trusted personally was the Denali coven, friends of ours who lived in Alaska. Though a very popular and famous family in the vampire world, they stuck to an animal blood diet like us. They were personal favorites of Aro, head of the Volturi, but they kept to their diet, proud of how they lived.

So my trust of our guests was very low, particularly around the males. I kept vigilant at all times.

"Good to see you, Carlisle," smiled Laurent warmly. He shook my father's hand before shaking my mother's.

"You too, Laurent," replied Carlisle. "What brings you to Forks?"

"Just passing through," answered Victoria, settling herself onto the sofa next to Bella. I grinned internally when my singer shuffled just a little bit away. She was protecting herself and I was glad she was doing that. She was aware and that's what I wanted. "We'll head to Seattle in the morning then continue on north."

"Well, you know that you are always welcome in our home," smiled Carlisle, though I didn't necessarily agree with his statement. Yes, they were welcome here, but not if it put Bella and Alice in any danger.

They said hello to me, but I merely nodded back, not wanting to make a huge fuss about their arrival. I didn't want them here, and as long as Bella was within a single foot of them, I didn't want them anywhere near this house. Her safety came first in my eyes and, with these three vampires here, that could not be definite.

I needed to take care of her tonight and keep her safe and, trust me, that is something that I would not stop in doing…


	9. Savior

_Hello!_

_A huge thanks to Snusa, Coleen561, MacNNcheese95, WeFallForever, lynne0731, mixmatched9, Natalie51, mommymac0508 and secretobsession7 for their reviews. Thank you!_

_So, another day, another chapter. This story is really starting to move along now and I'm really enjoying writing it. I have the whole story plotted in my head from beginning to end, so I hope you are all enjoying it. We're back to Bella for this chapter, so lets see what happens…_

_This chapter is named after "Savior" by 30 Seconds To Mars. Awesome band, I love them. Jared Leto, the singer, is sort of my dream vampire lol._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Shocker!_

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

I didn't like them.

It was as simple as that. I just didn't like them. I didn't like how they presented themselves, I didn't like the way they waltzed around the house like they owned the place, I didn't like the way they looked at me, I didn't like the way they looked at Alice. They glared at us, almost as if we shouldn't be there, almost as if they resented our very presence. They probably did. We were humans being treated just as equally as they were, after all.

James, Laurent and Victoria they called themselves. To me, they were just vile disgusting vampires. At least the Cullens had the decency to drink animal blood rather than that of humans. These vampires didn't seem to care in the slightest. They just took whatever they liked, regardless of the consequences. The Cullens were vampires, these three were just dirty blood-suckers. At least the Cullens had some respectability about them.

I kept a constant distance between myself and our visitors, always making sure never to get too close to them. A confrontation was the last thing I wanted, whether it was violent or friendly. I wanted nothing to do with them, and I planned to keep it that way. I was just thankful that they were here for one night and one night only. I was on edge enough as it was with just this short time frame, any longer would have probably killed me.

In all honesty, I would have retreated to my room for the night if it weren't for Alice. Leaving her with animal drinking vampires was bad enough, but to leave her with human drinking vampires would be like signing her death sentence. I knew the Cullens would allow no harm to come to her, but I still couldn't fully trust this fact. If you want something done, you have to do it yourself. So I stayed with her, one eye on the pixie and one on the visitors.

I managed to retreat to the corner of the living room with a book as a means of staying away from the visitors. Esme followed and fretted after them, a good hostess as always, whilst Carlisle engaged them in conversation and entertainment as much as he could. Emmett and Rosalie joined in at times whilst Jasper remained vigilant of Alice, who too was reading. Edward remained on the love seat on the furthest side of the living room, his eyes always trained on one of two things. Our visitors… and me.

Only a few hours earlier had Edward made me well aware of how things stood between us. In fact he had been trying for weeks to win me back over after I discovered his secret. I couldn't knock his efforts, he had really tried to show me he wasn't the bad guy, but I didn't want him to win me over. I wanted to keep my distance and do my work so that I could send my family the money I had earned. I didn't want to be anything more to the vampire than just a employee, doing her job. But over those weeks, I had felt my guard slipping as I watched the things he did. He was so sweet and kind to me, he always helped me when he could, he continuously gave me some of the most beautiful flowers, he was gentle and thoughtful... but most of all, he was genuinely sorry.

I felt myself softening more each and every day, the anger and betrayal in my heart slowly dissipating, and suddenly I _did_ want him to be my friend again. I really did... That was until the visitors had come. Now I was in just as much danger as ever and I wanted to be left alone again. Why Edward was looking at me, I did not know. Was he watching out for me? Was this a form of protection? Or was he hungry and lusting after some blood? No, I knew it would not be the latter, but there was definitely something about his stare that made me know I would be safe as long as he was near. I wasn't quite sure what made me think this, I could just _feel_ it.

"Mom, is it time for dinner yet?" asked Alice. I looked up from my book, knowing I would be the one cooking for her. I glanced at the clock. Half past seven. Yes, it was time for dinner. My rumbling stomach only confirmed this fact.

"You hungry, Sweetie?" Esme asked Alice before casting her eyes in my direction. I smiled at her and stood, understanding what her look meant. I made my way to Alice.

"Come on, Pixie," I said, giving Alice my hand. "Lets go see what we can find."

Alice stood up and followed me into the kitchen. Jasper, being vigilant as always, followed us too. Since there wasn't exactly a lot to eat in the house, we ended up ordering pizza. We ate up quickly when it came, before retreating back into the living room to the rest of the family. When we returned, we found Laurent and Carlisle were in a heated discussion, Victoria and Rosalie were poured over some fashion magazine or other, and James had his arms folded, watching the TV from his seat.

_James…_

James seemed to make me shiver the most. I didn't know what it was about him, but something about this vampire seemed… off. It was a strange feeling, but his mere presence seemed to bring more danger than I first thought. It was the way he moved, the way he smirked, the little comments he made. Something seemed more threatening about him than the other two and I couldn't shake the feeling from my head. I kept my distance from him the most.

After retreating back to my book, Alice and Jasper began playing board games until Alice finally fell asleep in Jasper's lap. I felt quite weary myself and, after realizing it was almost midnight, decided it would be best to go up to bed. I walked over to where Jasper and Alice were sitting peacefully.

"Do you want me to take her up?" I asked Jasper. "I'm hitting the sack now myself."

He looked at the small girl in his arms before he replied. "It's ok. I'd like to take her myself, if that's alright."

I shrugged my shoulders and agreed, knowing how close the two of them were. It would probably be easier for Jasper to carry her anyway. I bid myself goodnight to everyone before I followed Jasper, who was holding a sleepy Alice, upstairs. We took her to her room where we quickly tucked her in without waking her. Jasper sat on her bed, stroking her hair for a little while. I should have left them alone for a little quiet time together, but I had to enquire about our guests.

"They're dangerous, aren't they?" I said softly. "Our visitors I mean."

Jasper let out a breath and nodded. "Yes. They are dangerous. At least to you and Alice they are. Any human blood drinking vampire is always a danger to her."

I looked carefully at the way he stroked Alice's hair and caressed her face and I could not help smiling at the obvious adoration he had for her. I already knew how close these two were, and the affection he was showing her now just confirmed this.

"You're really close with her, huh?" I asked him.

"Like you wouldn't believe," he answered. "Alice is… she's my whole world. She is everything to me. I can't think of life without her."

It took me a brief moment to fully process his words. This level of commitment was truly astonishing, but she was only 12. Surely she hadn't been around _all _his life. "But you're a vampire, right? You must be like, hundreds of years old."

"I was turned in 1863," he told me matter-of-factly.

_Whoa! Guess he is old!_

"Exactly, so you lived without her before. Why not now?" I asked him.

"Because… Because she's my singer," he answered, stroking her forehead as she turned onto her side in sleep.

_His what?_

My eyebrows furrowed. "What's a singer?"

"A vampire's singer is the one living creature on this earth whose blood appeals to them the most, almost like it sings to them. It's like a drug, an addiction. You become obsessed to the point of devotion. Most vampires kill their singer immediately. The blood is too much for them to be around, so they take it the instant they smell it. But some of us, we like to keep our singer. We preserve the blood, keep it protected, torture ourselves almost, all because we cannot bare to see our singer die. A vampire and their singer become almost inseparable."

"So, she's like your soul mate?" I asked. From what he had said, soul mate was the closest link I could make to their relationship of vampire and singer.

He smiled as he looked at me. "Something like that."

"But she's 12!" I said. "She's just a child." Wasn't this just a little creepy?

"I know she is, and so I will love her like a brother for now. But one day, when she is old enough and wise enough to make these decisions for herself, I hope she will see me as something more. And if not, well then so be it. As long as she's in my life. That's all that matters to me."

I almost wanted to cry with happiness at the connection he felt to her. The love and devotion was something I had never seen before. I knew they were fond of each other, but I never realized it ran that deep. It was sort of beautiful really.

I left Alice and Jasper, heading to my own room, all the while thinking about the two of them. She was his singer, her blood sang to him… but he would never take it. Never. As I put my pajamas on and got into bed, it made me realize that perhaps the Cullens were not as dangerous as I first anticipated. If Jasper could want Alice's blood so much, yet not touch a drop of it, were they really that bad? As I heard Jasper's footsteps leave Alice's room and return downstairs, it made me think, could the Cullens really hurt me if they had that level of restraint?

It was all these thoughts and all this confusion that was swimming around my head as I gently drifted off to sleep that night. My sleep was peaceful and restful, some of the best sleep I had had in weeks. There was no tossing and turning, no nightmares, no nothing. All seemed well with me.

That was until I was awoken at 2am by a strange sound coming from the hallway outside my room. The creaking of the floorboards in the hallway caused my weary eyes to flutter open and gaze around the darkness of my room. It sounded like footsteps trying to make themselves silent, not wanting to be heard, but the creaking floor easily gave them away. I sat up in bed and listened a little longer until I heard the sound of a door opening.

Quickly getting out of bed and slipping my slippers on, I ran out into the hallway, just in time to see the door to Alice's bedroom close with a click. I tensed my jaw.

Someone was in Alice's room. Someone felt the need to go to her in the dead of night whilst she was sleeping soundly, lying there at her most innocent and vulnerable. A thousand scenarios ran wildly through my tired head. Perhaps it was just Jasper going to check on her. Maybe it was Esme and Carlisle seeing if their daughter was alright. Perhaps it was Edward making sure she was still asleep. But then my mind went in the opposite direction, towards much darker thoughts. What if was one of them, one of the visitors, going to pry on a defenseless human girl?

I had frightened myself now with this theory, and so with a brave face, a heavily beating heart, and a terrified confidence, I tiptoed to Alice's door, carefully turning the knob. I slipped myself inside, looked around quickly, and silently gasped at the sight laid out before me. Alice's bedside lamp illuminated the room perfectly, allowing my widened eyes to see. Much to my dismay and horror, my theories had been realized. It _was_ one of them… James to be more precise. How he had gotten here, I did not know, but his purpose was rather obvious to see.

He was stood on her bed, crouching over her sleeping form, his sharp teeth bared and poised to bite. My heart stopped as I saw the danger that had presented itself. He was going to drain her. He was going to kill poor little Alice and take her blood whilst she slept. Knowing I was the only one here and able to do anything, I forced my undetected body to search the room for something, anything which would stop him. My eyes quickly landed on a vase upon Alice's dressing table. So, with trembling hands, I grabbed it and threw it at James as hard as I possibly could. It worked and the vase hit the back of his head, smashing to pieces upon impact.

He froze.

So did I.

My only thoughts had been to protect Alice… I hadn't considered the consequences of what would happen afterwards.

It was like slow motion as he turned his head around to look at me, his evil red eyes boring into my own. I swallowed. Hard. He was pissed. His lips curled up above his teeth, a snarl leaving his mouth, echoing throughout the room. My body began to tremble as fear took over me, making me feel sick, filling my eyes with terrified tears. It was my turn now, he was going to kill me instead. No longer able to hold my own weight due to my utter terror, my legs gave way beneath me. I never hit the floor. James's hands were wrapped tightly around my neck before that could manage to happen.

"Why you little bitch," he seethed at me.

He slowly lifted me up the wall till my feet were dangling below me, begging to find the ground. His hands tightened as he lifted, his snarl progressing to a growl as he looked at me with hard eyes. I could not breathe. The air came out in gasps, but it refused to breathe back in. I reached for his hands, trying to pry them away from my neck, but my efforts were useless. It was nothing compared to vampire strength. I began kicking at him with my dangling legs, but the lack of oxygen turned my world hazy.

But it wasn't hazy enough for me not to see Alice. I saw her slowly rise from her bed, the loud commotion clearly waking her. I saw her looking at my pale face from over James's shoulder, his grip getting ever tighter as my strength weakened,his teeth bared, ready to bite.

Suddenly, a scream came from Alice's mouth when the situation finally registered in her head. "JASPER!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

And in that next moment, the bedroom door opened and James was gone, my limp and weak body falling to the floor with a thump. The pain of my landing didn't even register in my mind. I was too pre-occupied with getting air back into my lungs and seeing where James was.

I soon got my answer.

He was much in the same position I had been not second earlier. He was lifted against the wall by his neck, his body lashing out, but with no hope of escape. My eyes widened a little when I saw who it was who had him by the neck.

It was Edward.

"You son of a fucking bitch," Edward growled at the top of his lungs, slamming James further into the wall. "Don't you dare touch her. She is mine, do you hear me? _Mine_." James was helpless to resist as Edward tightened his grip, his chest heaving in heavy and angry breaths. As I lay helplessly on the soft carpeted floor, my eyes searched frantically for Alice, needing to know if she was alright. I found her on her bed, wrapped in Jasper's arms, crying into his shoulder. At least she was safe. I looked back to Edward, my chest heaving as I struggled to breath.

"What's going on?" asked Carlisle who suddenly appeared in Alice's doorway, the family and our other visitors with him. I retreated into a ball against the wall, not wanting to be near Laurent or Victoria.

"Ask this sick bastard," seethed Edward, smashing him into the wall again. "He was the one attacking Bella."

And then suddenly, almost as if his own words had registered in his head, Edward was at my side, frantically brushing my hair away from my face to get a better look at me. Emmett immediately rushed to James, taking Edward place, grabbing his neck in a deathly grip.

"Bella," he whispered softly. "Bella are you alright? What did he do to you? Tell me."

"He attacked Bella?" yelled Carlisle in anger, stopping me from replying to Edward. Now it was the rest of the family's turn to be pissed. I looked to all their faces, their anger apparent.

"James, you idiot!" yelled Victoria. "What do you think you were doing?"

Emmett's grip on his throat stopped him from replying. I heard Alice's delicate sobs as Edward spoke to me again.

"Bella, I need you to tell me what he did to you."

"It's hard to breath," I whispered in reply. Letting out a soft sigh, Edward lifted me from the floor, cradling me against his chest, carrying me from the room, leaving the scene behind. He left it all to Carlisle and the family to see to James. I rested my head against Edward's hard chest as he carried me away from the commotion. I just wanted rest and to be able to breathe properly again. I began to cough, finding the task a struggle.

"Shhh…" Edward soothed me. "You're safe now, Bella. I'm here."

And I believed him. I was safe… all because of Edward. If he hadn't have arrived, I'd no doubt be dead by now. I had been able to feel the life leaving me, the world going hazy, the need to breathe becoming harder and harder. James had me, and if he hadn't have been interrupted, I wouldn't be here now. Edward saved my life, and I would forever owe him for that.

Edward opened a door and finally led me into a room I had never been in before. It was quite large with shelves upon shelves of CDs covering the walls almost like wallpaper. One wall was completely made of glass and there were books and clothes scattered across the floor, covering the large fluffy white rug that I could see peaking out below. There was no bed, only a large leather sofa on the far wall. I knew where I was immediately. Edward's room.

He delicately placed me on the large leather sofa, instantly kneeling at my side. He gently sat me up so that I would find it easier to breathe. I began coughing again, striving to get oxygen into my lungs. I heard shouting and banging from down the hall, but I barely listened. All I could concentrate on was Edward's soothing hands gently rubbing my back as I coughed and gasped for air.

"Its ok, Bella," he told me. "Hang on, I'll go get you some water."

He ran to the en-suite bathroom connected to his bedroom and reappeared not two seconds later, a cool glass of water in his hands. I literally snatched it from him, downing it as quickly as I could, needing the moisture in my dry throat. Edward retreated back to the bathroom, getting a second glass.

"Thank you," I whispered when he returned. The water was working already and I found breathing just that little bit easier. I began sipping at the second glass, taking my time.

"You're welcome," he replied, softly stroking my hair. Noticing I was only wearing a t-shirt and shorts, he stood up from his position behind me, retrieved a blanket from his wardrobe and gently settled it upon me, kneeling back down once again.

"What will happen to James?" I asked, sipping my water.

"I don't care, so long as he doesn't show his face here or anywhere near here again," Edward answered.

"How's Alice," I breathed, asking the next thing that struck my mind. Alice was the whole reason I had gone into her room in the first place. I had to know if she was ok, I needed to know if she had come out of this unscathed.

"She's fine. She's a little shaken and a little emotional, but otherwise she's fine," Edward told me. "She's with Jasper now."

I nodded, coughed, and took another sip of my drink. The cool water felt amazing as it slipped down my throat, quenching my thirst and massaging the aching muscles there. I swallowed the water before taking a second sip.

I jumped when I suddenly felt Edward's icy fingers tracing my neck. It took me a while to realize what he was doing till I figured James's tight grip had no doubt left a mark upon my skin. His eyes were sad as they looked at my neck, full of sympathy and regret.

"Is it sore?" he asked me.

"Not really. What's the damage?" I asked him.

"It's just a little red," he answered. "No permanent damage." He was silent. "I can't believe I let it get this far, I can't believe I let him do this to you. Tell me what happened."

I shuffled a little on the sofa, trying to get a little comfier. "I heard someone go into Alice's room, so I followed the noise," I began. "I found James in there, crouched over Alice. So I did the only thing I could and distracted him. I threw a vase at his head, but then he turned on me... I tried to get away, but he grabbed me… and… and I was so scared…" My voice broke as I remembered what happened to me.

Thankfully Edward was there for comfort. He quickly embraced me, holding me in his arms as I sobbed into his chest. He stroked my hair, humming softly in order to calm me down. "You're safe with me, Bella. He won't get you in here. I won't let him near you, I promise."

I relaxed into his body as guilt washed over me. After everything that had happened, after the way I had treated these people over the past three weeks, acting like they were disgusting and vile, keeping as much distance as possible, they were still able to save me and protect me…

"I'm so sorry," I wept.

Edward gently pulled me back in order to look into my tear stained face. He brushed the hair from my forehead and looked at me in utter confusion.

"Sorry?" he pondered. "For what?"

"For the way I've treated you. I've been a complete bitch to you and your family for weeks, and then you go and save my life! I can't believe I've acted that way towards you all. I am so sorry, Edward."

Edward just smiled, shaking his head as if amused. "Silly girl," he said, wiping the tears from my eyes tenderly with his thumbs. "Didn't I say to you only this morning that I just wanted to protect you? It doesn't matter how you acted towards me. All that matters is you and your safety."

"You… you mean that?" I asked, sniffing my nose.

"Of course," he replied, placing a stray piece of hair behind my ear, causing me to flush. Edward just smiled. "I just want to be your friend and take care of you, Bella. What's happened in those three weeks does not matter. All that matters is you."

I smiled then, the first true smile I had managed all day. "I… I want to be your friend too," I replied, resting my head back upon his chest as he held me to him.

And I meant my words, I truly did. He had saved my life. The most precious thing to me, he had managed to preserve. I knew now that I would forever be in Edward Cullen's debt, as well as the rest of the family's. I did want to be his friend for as long as he'd have me. After tonight, my trust had been well and truly restored in the Cullen family.

"Do you think you can forgive me?" I asked.

"Only if you forgive me for keeping what I was a secret," he answered.

I nodded against his body. "Deal."

He felt his chest rumble as he chuckled and I could not help relax into him further, wrapping my arms around his back. "Deal," he replied back. After a comfortable silence filled Edward's room for a time, I finally decided to speak again, saying the one thing I had yet to say to him.

"Edward?" I asked, closing my eyes.

"Yes, Bella?" he replied, his chest vibrating with his deep voice.

"Thank you," I replied. "For saving my life."

He gently rubbed my back. "You're welcome."

I ended up staying in Edward's room for the whole night, too weak and fatigued to leave the comfort of his couch. After removing James, Laurent and Victoria from the house in the most deepest anger I had ever witnessed, Carlisle came up to check if I was alright.

_I guess it's handy having a doctor in the family!_

He determined that I was fine and well. All I needed was rest and water and I should recover fine. I was just glad that I'd come away with only a few red marks on my neck. Tonight could have been so much worse. I could have been seriously injured, or even worse, dead. The same could have gone for Alice. If I hadn't entered her room when I did, James would have drained her, there was no doubt about it. I was just relieved that we were all in one piece.

I settled into the couch with a pillow and blanket, wrapping myself up warmly, trying to sleep. I struggled at first, waking up abruptly each time, my neck and throat hurting a little. But Edward's soothing hands, gently stroking and caressing my skin always sent me straight off to sleep again.

I slept safely that night, nothing attacking me and nothing really frightening me. And I knew I had Edward to thank for this as he did not leave my side all night…


	10. Broken hearted girl

_Hello!_

_A huge thanks to Twilightluver2127, Ephany, secretobsession7, MacNNcheese95, Coleen561, mommymac0508, lynne0731, Everlasting Muse, mixmatched9, Snusa, Cina's, teamedwardtwilightfan and WeFallForever for their lovely reviews. Thank you!_

_Firstly, happy birthday Bella Swan. It feels weird saying that to a fictional character, but there you go. Its her birthday, so why not?_

_So this story is going to get pretty angsty from here, not that it isn't already (why do I treat these characters so terribly?) so just beware. Lol._

_This chapter is named after "Broken Hearted Girl" by Beyonce. She's one of my favorite singers in the world. She's amazing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Dang!_

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

I felt in rather good spirits as I woke up bright and early, but then again, I had been in good spirits for the last few weeks now.

Life was definitely on the up for me. Things had changed, and they had changed for the better. Tension no longer hung in the air in the Cullen household like it had previously. There were no secrets, no fears, no nothing. Peace and harmony had been fully restored between myself and the family, and I could not have felt any better for it.

In fact, the two weeks since the incident with the nomadic vampires had been some of the best of my entire life. With my trust well and truly restored in my employers, it was like nothing could stop me now. They were my friends again and they would remain that forever. Yes, they were vampires, and they were essentially dangerous, but they would never harm me, they would only protect me. This I honestly knew. I had entered this strange new world now, and I'm glad I had the Cullens with me as I explored it.

My friendships with the family had blossomed almost instantly. Whether it was Rosalie, Jasper or Carlisle, I loved them all and I wanted to be in their lives for as long as possible. After what they had done for me, how could I not?

It was 8am when I awoke, and after quickly getting dressed, I made my way downstairs and into the living room, retrieving the shoes I had left in there last night.

"Good morning, Bella," greeted Edward from his seat on the sofa. He put down the newspaper he was reading in order to greet me.

"Morning, Edward," I grinned. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm well, thank you," Edward chuckled. "You seem happy."

"I'm always happy," I said, picking up my shoes, taking a seat and slipping them on. "What's there not to be happy about?"

He laughed. "True. Where are you going this morning?"

"I was just going to see Jacob before Alice woke up."

I noticed his body tense up a little at the mention of the chauffeur's name, but the sight was gone almost as quickly as it appeared. I thought nothing of it.

"Will you let me know when she wakes up?" I quickly added.

"Sure," he smiled, relaxing back into his seat. I stood up. "Oh, and tell Jacob that Esme is going to need a lift into Seattle around lunchtime."

"I'll tell him," I replied. "Bye, Edward."

"Laters, Bella," he shouted behind me as I headed out the front door and around to the large garage at the side of the house.

I could not keep the joyous grin from my face as I walked. It was tattooed to my face with no signs of leaving. Of all the relationships to strengthen between myself and the Cullens, my relationship with Edward had come out strongest. I didn't know why this was, whether it was the fact that he had tried so hard to win me over before, whether I just found him the easiest to get along with, or whether it was because he had been the one to actually save my life from James's attack, but I felt the closest to him out of everyone.

I enjoyed his company. He was kind, sweet, sincere, funny. He made me smile, he made me giggle, he made me laugh. He looked after me and cared for me, and even made me blush once or twice. Edward was a joy to be around and I found myself wanting to spend more time with my savior. It even made me flush just thinking about it, but Edward was fast becoming one of my most favorite people in the whole world.

_He's definitely my favorite vampire!_

I didn't know what it was about him, but felt myself feeling more and more desperate for his company.

Still, I quickly tried to rid myself of my blush as the garage came into sight. I hurried to the large metal door which lay open and entered. Jacob was already there, filling up the cars with gas, getting them ready, no doubt, for the day. I smiled as I walked over to him.

"Care from some company?" I asked him.

He turned his head towards me, his eyes lighting up. "Hey! Morning, Bells. What you doing here so early?"

"Alice isn't up yet, so I thought I'd come by and say hello. You don't mind, do you?"

"Course not," he said, putting the gas can down. "You know you're always welcome here. How are things?"

"Great," I grinned, taking a seat within one of the cars whose door lay open. My feet dangled out of the car. "Couldn't be any better."

"I'm glad," he told me. "I much prefer seeing you like this than the state you were in a fortnight ago."

Since Jacob was one of the only friends I'd made around this place, apart from the Cullens themselves, I'd made everything that had happened no secret to him. Since Jake knew the Cullen's secret too, he'd been very easy to talk to about my confused feelings and thoughts. He always offered me a shoulder to cry on and an ear to talk to. He'd been fantastic really. He always listened to my moaning and never sent me away. He'd put up with a lot of my crap over the weeks and had really proven himself as my friend.

He'd been beyond pissed when he discovered what James had done, or tried to do, but at the same time relieved that Edward had gotten to me when he did. He was right though. I much preferred feeling like I was now that what I felt two weeks ago.

We talked for about half an hour whilst Jake continued on with his morning chores. With my spirits so high, it seemed we could talk forever. But Rosalie came to interrupt us mid-conversation, claiming there was a phone call waiting for me in the house. I gave Jake a quick kiss on the cheek, said goodbye, and made my way into the house, the first few drips of a downpour of rain just beginning.

_Typical Forks weather!_

I took the phone, ran up to my bedroom, sat on my bed and held the phone up to my ear.

"Hello?" I said politely, a smile on my lips. "Bella Swan speaking."

"B-Bella?" came Heidi's voice. Normally, this would have filled me with joy since I would be able to speak with my sister, but her voice was not like normal. It wasn't cheery or happy like it usually was, it was melancholy and sad.

My smile dropped instantly. "Heidi, what's wrong?" I asked, my previously jolly spirit suddenly turning serious. Something bad must have happened for her tone to be as it was. Something was going on, and it didn't seem good.

"I can't… I don't'… I'm not sure…I… I…" Her voice sounded hectic and rushed.

I immediately stood up from the bed and began pacing my room in agitation, trying my hardest to calm my sister down. "Heidi, I can't understand you, you need to relax. What's happened?" I felt the strangest sinking feeling in my stomach as I uttered my question.

I heard her sobs before she spoke. "He's… he's…"

"HEIDI!" I exclaimed down the phone, begging her to snap out of it and tell me what was wrong.

"He's dead, Bella," she finally said. "Dad… he's… I found him this morning… I-"

But I didn't hear the rest of her words. The phone slipped from my hand, hitting the floor with a thud before her sentence could finish. Her voice continued to ring out from the other end of the phone, but none of it reached my ears.

… What?

My heart stopped…

My head stopped…

No…

My body filled with an unbearable numbness as the life rushed out of me…

He was… dead.

"Oh… God," I whispered as I sunk to my knees. I didn't register the pain in my body as I hit the ground; I was far too numb for that. I slowly wrapped my arms around my body as I suddenly began to shake and tremble, tears escaping my eyes, tumbling down my cheeks in streams. My breath came out in pants as my throat locked up and my heart threatened to beat right out of my chest. I didn't know what to do.

_Oh lord…_

It had happened, it had finally happened. I knew it was coming, of course I did, but why did it have to happen so soon?… Why did it have to happen whilst I was away?… I didn't even have the chance to say a goodbye to my father. _I didn't say goodbye…_

_My father was dead..._

"Bella?… Bella?" came my sister's voice faintly from the phone, but I ignored it. My body refused to work, the numbness spreading like wildfire. I felt the bile rise in my throat as raw emotion left my body. My chest heaved as sobs wracked through my entire being, my voice wailing and crying, the sound echoing throughout the room. I'd never heard sounds like them ever leave my lips before, they were almost primal. But I knew exactly what they were.

They were the sounds of a broken person.

Almost suddenly, my bedroom door burst open and Edward was instantly at my side. He saw my tear stained face and defeated body and his eyes widened.

"Good god, Bella, what the hell happened?" he asked me, taking my face into his hands, checking me over to see what was wrong. _Ha! He thought I was physically hurt!_

I could not speak, the sobs had completely taken me over. So I just continued to cry my heart out, my body trembling in what I could only describe as shock, fear and utter sadness.

"Bella," he said softly, gently whipping the tears away. "I need you to tell me what happened, please." His eyes swam with concern as I looked into them, but I couldn't speak. I just couldn't. I just wanted to cry, I just wanted to grieve, I just… wanted to be alone. I didn't want him to see me like this, so, with a big breath and without looking back, I bolted from Edward, from my room, and from the house.

I ran out of the front door, the rain immediately lashing heavily down upon me, but I did not care. I continued to run into the pouring rain and straight into the forest by the house. I could not tell which drops of water were rain and which were tears upon my cheeks as I began to run, pumping my legs as hard as I possibly could. I just wanted to escape. I didn't know why, but I couldn't stand to be inside anymore.

He was dead.

Dead… Dead… Dead.

It didn't seem real, it seemed like a horrible nightmare, and I would wake in the morning with everything back to normal. My dad would still be lying in his bed back in Phoenix, a smile on his face and his heart beating with life. This wasn't real, it simply wasn't. It couldn't be…

My foot suddenly caught itself in a fallen branch, tripping me up and sending me crashing to the ground. I lay still in the grass when I landed, no energy left in my body. I couldn't run even if I wanted to.

This wasn't a nightmare, was it? He _was _dead. My father was no more. He was merely just a memory now, he no longer existed. He was… gone.

The sobs shook my body again as I continued to cry tears that I didn't even realize I had left. They blurred my vision and fell down my cheeks, refusing to stop, refusing to die. I whimpered and I whined as I cried, the sounds echoing not only through my ears, but through the entire forest. The physical pain of falling was nothing compared to the mental pain of what I had just heard on the phone. The pain burned, it killed, it was like pure torture.

I continued to sob as a pair of icy cold arms gently wrapped around my fallen form, picking me up and cradling me to their body. I wondered how he had found me so deeply within the trees, but he was a vampire; of course he would find me. He carried me through the forest as I turned my face into his chest and continued to weep. His clothes were only a little wet from the rain, whereas I was completely soaked through. Thankfully, he didn't seem to mind.

"Shhh…" Edward gently soothed me, his pace slow and steady, almost moving human speed. He took me to an over-hanging tree and sat down at the base of it with me in his lap, the tree providing perfect shelter from the weather. I hid myself in his body, curling up and refusing to come out. He rubbed my back and wrapped his arms around me, trying his hardest to give me comfort where he could. I merely continued to sob and he let me until I could sob to more.

Finally no longer able to cry, I pulled my face away and rested my cheek upon his chest, inhaling his welcome scent. We were silent for a time as Edward rocked me like a baby and allowed me to calm down. Finally, he spoke.

"I… I spoke to your sister on the phone," he told me. "Bella… I'm so sorry."

"I can't b-believe he's gone," I said through a broken voice. "It doesn't s-seem real."

"It won't for a while," he said.

"It hurts so much," I whimpered, a single sob leaving my lips. "Why is it so painful?"

He didn't answer me. Instead he just held me tighter, pulling me closer, offering me a physical comfort rather than that of words. But what could he say? I knew the truth, my father was dead. Nothing could ever change that and nothing would ever make it easier.

"It feels like my heart has been torn into a thousand pieces," I whimpered. "It's killing me."

"I know," he said. "I know."

"I d-didn't think I c-c-could feel anything like this," I said.

"I know it hurts, Bella," he told me. "And it may take time for the pain to lessen, but it will eventually ease."

"How can you b-be so sure?" I asked him. How could this feeling disappear? It was the most horrible thing in the world, it would never leave me. The pain had marked me for life, like an everlasting scar that I would carry around forever.

"I'm a vampire," he explained. "I've been losing the people I love all of my immortal life."

I removed my cheek from his chest and looked up at him then, tears blurring my vision only slightly. He was looking back down at me with his beautiful bright golden eyes, but his mind was elsewhere. His face had a far off look, almost like he was recalling memories or moments within his mind.

"Did you lose your father too?" I asked him. I knew Edward was immortal, but I did not know when he was turned into what he was. Was he like Jasper - hundreds of years old - or was he turned recently?

He nodded. "I did. I lost my mother too, almost within a few days of my father."

"My mom is dead as well," I explained. "I was 11 at the time, and she died giving birth to my youngest sister."

"I'm sorry," Edward said calmly. He smiled then, his lips slowly letting a chuckle escape. "Guess we're a couple of orphans, huh?" It was his attempt to lighten the mood, if only a little.

I nodded before resting my head back upon his chest again, craving his comfort and his embrace.

"How did your parents die?" I asked him softly. Perhaps if we could share our miseries and stories and open up to each other, it could make this thing a lot easier on me. I knew it was a long shot, but if was to feel like this for the rest of my life, I needed the burn in my heart to disappear at least for a few moments.

"It happened a few hours before I was turned actually," he began. "They caught Spanish Influenza in 1918."

_1918... Wow! Edward sure looks good for his age…_

"Father died within a few weeks of contracting the disease. The loss of my father only served to make my mother worse and she was rushed into hospital a few days later. By this time, I'd caught the illness too and followed her there."

"You had Spanish Influenza?" I asked suddenly, shock in my voice. I looked up at him, almost making sure that he was real. _Poor Edward…_

"I did," he continued, looking down at me with a comforting smile, wiping a fallen tear away with his thumb. "I was just lucky that Carlisle was the doctor serving in the hospital that day. He could do nothing to save my poor mother, but he managed to save me. It was just a shame that the only cure was vampirism."

"He turned you to save you," I said, though it came out as more of a statement.

He nodded. "At first I was angry with what I had become, the monster that I now was, and the life I now had to lead. But as the years passed by and I got used to my… condition, I began to accept what I was. But in those years, I lost everyone. My family, my friends, every person who I had ever known. I remained 22 years old, whilst everybody around me slowly died, and there was nothing I could do to prevent it."

"How… how did you get through that?" I asked curiously.

"I stopped making friends," he smiled, though it was more to himself. "If everybody was going to leave me, I made sure that I didn't know anyone to leave. The pain of loneliness was far easier to bear than the pain of losing all those you love."

The words that left his mouth brought even more pain to me. To hear his story and to hear what he had to go through made me crave Edward's company even more. Yes I had lost my mother, and now I had lost my father, but he had lost everyone. At least I had my sisters, Edward was completely alone. It was true that he had Carlisle, Esme and his siblings, but his real family were lost forever and he would never get them back. He shouldn't be alone… I didn't want him to be alone…

It turned out this life as a vampire was more of a curse than a blessing.

I gently took his hand in mine, linking our fingers together. He was here for me in my time of need, he had to know that I was here for him and that I always would be. He looked curiously down at our held hands before a satisfied and content grin spread across his lips.

"How long did it take you to get over you parent's deaths?" I asked him next.

"I never did and I never will," he told me in earnest. "The death of a parent is something that you will never fully recover from, no matter how hard you try, but the pain does get a lot easier, Bella. I promise."

His words were true. The pain of losing my mother was not as raw as it had been 9 years ago, but it was still there. I still loved her and missed her every day. Now I would miss my father too.

I let go of the vampire's hand and wrapped my arms around his waist, snuggling deeper into his body. "I never even got to tell him goodbye."

He softly rubbed my back. "I know how that feels, but your father would not have held that against you. You would have been in his thoughts."

I nodded as fresh tears formed in my eyes. "I know."

I suddenly felt Edward's lips touch the top of my head, kissing my wet hair gently before he kissed my temple. My skin tingled wherever his lips touched. "I'm here for you, Bella. Just know that, ok?"

"Thank you, Edward," I whispered as I began to sob once again, my tears soaking his shirt.

"Shhh…" he said as I began to sooth me again, gently rocking me back and forth, allowing me to cry. His embrace was far more welcoming now than it had been when I first received the phone call. I no longer wanted to run from him and be alone. I wanted to remain with him and stay by his side. I wanted him to console me and tell me it was all going to be ok. Edward understood what I was going though and right now, I needed his support more than anything.

"I…I need t-to go home, I have to go back to Phoenix," I eventually said as my tears lessened. "There will be a f-funeral, and my s-s-sisters will need m-me."

"Alright," he said, standing up and carrying me with him. I shivered and Edward immediately noticed. "But first we need to get you back to the house. You're soaked through and I don't want you to catch a cold."

He held me tight and ran to the house faster than I could have ever imagined. I had witnessed Edward's speed the day he found me in the woods with those men, but this was the first time I had experienced it first hand. The wind blew through my hair and hit my face, making the whole thing seem unreal. We made it home in less than 30 seconds.

The entire family surrounded us the moment we stepped through the front door, all of them frantic with worry and alarm. Edward must have explained what had happened before he left to find me.

"Bella, are you alright?" cried Esme.

"What's happened, Bella?" asked Alice.

"You gonna be alright?" said Emmett.

"Her emotions are everywhere right now," observed Jasper.

"Can everyone please just give her some room?" Edward finally said in an annoyed tone, causing everybody to stop and calm down. I smiled at his defense and protection of me. Edward was turning out to be quite the hero today, at least he was in my eyes. "First things first, she needs to get out of these wet clothes before she falls ill."

"I'll take her," Rosalie interjected. Edward handed me to her and she ran me up the stairs to my bedroom. We were silent as she helped me change, no words really needed. Rosalie knew that if I wanted to speak, I'd make the first move. I felt like an invalid as she dressed me, but I couldn't have dressed myself to save my life. My body was so weak and in so much shock that I felt my legs would give way if I tried to stand on them.

Once I was in a set of dry clothes and Rosalie had towel dried my hair and tied it back, she carried me back downstairs to meet the rest of the Cullens. I smiled internally when Edward instantly took me from her and held me in his arms again. I buried myself in his chest as he took a seat on the sofa.

Carlisle checked me over to see whether I had been affected by the pouring rain, but he deemed me fine and healthy… well, as fine and healthy as I could be in that moment. The whole family took seats within the living room before Edward decided to speak.

"Bella's going to need to go home," he said, mindlessly playing with the tips of my hair. "I'm sure there's a funeral to arrange and she needs to be surrounded by her family right now."

Everyone agreed, with Carlisle adding, "We'll book her a ticket onto the earliest flight to Phoenix."

"How does that sound, Bella?" Edward whispered to me softly.

"That's perfect. Thank you," I replied with the best smile that I could muster.


	11. Goodnight and goodbye

_Hello there!_

_A huge thanks to MacNNcheese95, sujari6, mixmatched9, lynne0731, Coleen561, Cina's, teamedwardtwilightfan, secretobsession7, mommymac0508, Snusa, Rachel-xox and WeFallForever for their reviews. Thank you!_

_So, another day, another chapter, and it seems the angst just wants to continue! I can't seem to stop it! Still, a lot of angst means a bit of happiness is coming soon... right? I hope so!_

_This chapter is named after "Goodnight and Goodbye" by the Jonas Brothers. It's a bit embarrassing admitting that I'm a Jonas Brother's fan, but I am. I bloody love em! I went to see them in concert last year and they were amazing. Lol._

_Disclaimer: It ain't mine!_

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

The vast contrast in weather between Forks and Phoenix hit me like a slap in the face when my plane landed in Arizona. I'd been so used to the cold and the wet for so long, that the wave of heat that hit me almost knocked me from my feet. I'd lived in Phoenix all my life, yet a few weeks in Forks had made me completely forget it.

But it was there, blaring down on me heavily, causing me to slip the sweatshirt off from my back and allow my t-shirt to cool me down.

I hopped into the first taxi that I managed to flag down, and my destination?… Home.

Back to my sisters, back to that little apartment that we all somehow managed to fit in, back to the reality that was my life. I was just disappointed that my visit could not have been on happier terms. After all, the reason I was here was not a good one. My father's funeral needed to be arranged, and me and my sister's needed to be consoled after what we had lost.

The Cullens, bless them, had put me on the first flight back to Phoenix, which happened to be the morning after my sister called. They paid for my plane ticket, anything I'd need on the plane, and my taxi fare when I landed. I had refused this generous offer at first knowing that this was something that was happening to me, so why should they have to pay for it? But they insisted and I found I could not say no to them. They really had no idea how much they meant to me, how much they would always mean to me.

The farewell was more tearful than I originally thought it would have been. I knew I had grown close to the family in the months that I had lived with them, but I didn't realize _how_ close until I had to leave them. They had been like a second family to me, they were my home from home, so leaving the Cullens was as hard as when I'd originally left my sisters to move to Washington. Alice blubbered like crazy, making me blubber in turn. Emmett attempted a joke or two, as always, but I could see the sadness in his eyes. The feeling was mutual, I'd miss the big bear as much as he'd miss me. Esme and Carlisle gave the usual motherly and fatherly farewells, and Rosalie and Jasper would have cried if they could have.

Edward's goodbye was the worst and it hurt me more than I knew it should have. He insisted on accompanying me to the airport to see me off, and I wasn't one to tell him no. I wanted his company, and I wanted him at my side for as long as possible. He held my hand whilst Jacob drove us there, he held my hand as we checked my bags in, and he held my hand whilst my passport was checked.

When we finally did have to part ways, the sharp pang that struck my heart caused it to thump like it never had before. I didn't want to say goodbye to Edward, far from it. I wanted him to come with me. Hell, I wanted the whole family to come with me! But this was something I had to do alone. Charlie was my father after all and I needed to be with my family right now.

I was about to enter the waiting area to catch my plane, when Edward suddenly grabbed my arm, pulled me to him, and hugged me tightly, squeezing me as if afraid to let go. I was a little surprised at first, but soon return the hug, wrapping my arms around his neck and squeezing him back.

"Take care, Bella," he whispered in my ear, his voice quivering a little.

"I will," I said, trying my very hardest to hold my tears back.

"Promise me you will come back, okay?" he quickly added. "When all this is over, please promise that you will return to Forks."

"I… I promise," I said.

I would return back to Washington, deep down I simply knew that I would. Not only was the place now my life and the home of my job, but we needed the money now more than ever. A funeral would not be cheap, and neither would the rent on my family's apartment in Phoenix. Despite the fact that Dad was gone, I still needed my job, so I would return. I had no choice.

Finally, if reluctantly, he let me go, taking a step away from me. The strangest feeling flooded through my body as he waved goodbye and made his way from the airport. It was almost like a part of me was missing as he left. It really was the most peculiar thing. It was almost like I needed Edward to be with me, like I craved his presence somewhat. I had grown so close to him in the weeks since James's attack, but I never comprehended how close. I knew I would miss him, but it felt like it would be more than that. My mind continued to reel over this discovery as I made my way to the waiting area.

I eventually caught my plane, enjoyed a pleasant flight, and finally found the taxi that I was now currently seated in. The car rolled down the familiar roads in silence as I gazed out of the window, the heat still stiffling. I did not want to make pleasantries with the driver, I had too much to think about to be making idle chit-chat.

The taxi finally pulled up at my family's apartment building after only a short drive. I paid the driver, retrieved my bags and made my way up to our floor in a matter of minutes. I walked down the corridor, dragging my bag behind me, and knocked on the door when I reached it. Heidi immediately answered, encasing me in her arms before I even had time to breathe.

"Oh, Bella…" she sobbed into my hair. "God, I'm so glad you're back."

"Hey, Heidi," I whispered, tears slowly escaping my eyes at seeing my sister after so long. I had missed her so much. She let me go and brought me into the apartment, closing the door behind us. The place was exactly how I remembered it. Small, enclosed, dingy, but at the same time, homely. It was where I had lived for most of my life, so no matter how terrible it was, I could not help but love the place.

Jane ran to me as she exited her bedroom, her eyes alight as she spotted me. She wrapped her small arms around my waist, bringing me to her.

"Bella! You're home, you're home!"

"Hi, Jane," I said, stroking her hair. "I missed you, sweetheart."

"Missed you more," she replied as she let me go. She took my hand and led me to the sofa, sitting down next to me and leaning into my side as if I had never been away. Heidi sat in the chair opposite us, the three of us finally together again at last. I looked to her face when she did and I was rather surprised with what I saw. She no longer looked her youthful self, she seemed quite haggard and tired. We had only found out about Charlie yesterday, but it had really taken its toll on her already. Heidi was stressed; we all were.

"How have things been?" I asked. "Since yesterday, I mean."

A faint smile slipped onto her lips. "I've never received so many visitors in all my life. Everyone has come. Uncle Frank, Aunty June, Dad's old friend from the force. Even old Mrs. Jefferson from next door offered her condolences."

"At least we know he was loved," I said, offering at least some good news.

"Yeah, by the people who haven't given a damn for the past two years. Sure, his friends visited, but where was our family was dad was on his deathbed?" Her voice was growing higher in anger. "They only care now that he's dead and has a little money that they can get their fucking hands on."

With a deep breath, I stood up and hugged my sister as she began to weep once again.

I knew it was just her grief speaking, but none of what she had said would ever happen because Dad didn't have a lot of money in the first place. After mom died, most of the money he earned went on booze so that my dad could drink his troubles away. Only a little money was saved in order to run the household and so very little remained. It wasn't best way to live, and I would often frown upon my father for what he was doing, but he was still my dad and I loved him.

The only money that the family really earned now was whatever Heidi earned at Wal-Mart, and whatever I could send home from Forks. Still, I would use that money now to give Dad the best funeral I could possibly give him. He was my father and he deserved a good send off.

It was at that moment that Jane decided to join our hug, her whole body shaking in sobs too. I guessed Heidi's crying was contagious and just set of her off. I miraculously managed to stay strong and I held the tears back as best as I could. I had done my crying, now I had to put up a good front for my family. I had to show that we could come out of this on top and that we would all be okay.

The emotional reunion continued on for most of the day and most of the week that I was there. More visitors came, offering their condolences, telling us that if we needed anything, we should go to them, all the usual stuff that people say to you. I was gracious and polite to everyone, but I knew I would never accept any of their offers. Heidi was right. None of them had cared about Dad before, so why now? The only people I was genuinely happy to see were Dad's friends who had worked with him on the force for 30 years. They were the people who had stayed in touch and had been to visit him whilst he was ill.

They were the people who mattered, not the money grabbing people who only showed up when they thought they could get their hands on something.

We managed to arrange a funeral too. Heidi and I had worked hard all week to do so. Dad's body had been taken away the morning Heidi found him, and once the postmortem had been completed, we had been able to make arrangements. We weren't having a large affair, just something quiet and intimate. It was how Charlie would have wanted it. He was not one for lavish shows and expensive things. He liked everything simple and tasteful. So we would give him what he would have wanted. We gave him the send off he would have wished for.

The Cullens called a few times too. Esme phoned once, then Alice, then Edward. Each asked how I was, how things were back home, how arrangements were coming along, the usual. I gave them the standard answers. We were fine, everyone is managing, the funeral is on Friday. What else could I say to them? As much as I loved these people, there was very little else to be said on the matter. They understood and made sure to wish me luck.

I surprised myself by crying each time I spoke to them. I'd hang up the phone and burst into fits of tears, realizing how much I missed them. I'd missed my sister's and father when I'd moved to Forks, but I never realized how much I'd missed the Cullens when I returned back to Phoenix. It was like they had become a central part of my life and I needed them like crazy. I had no choice but to return to them after all this was over. Regardless of whether I wanted to or not, my sanity needed them.

I made sure to get plenty sleep the night before the funeral. The stress of everything had made sure that I was kept awake for most of my time in Phoenix, so sleep was something that I needed like crazy. I was growing more tired each day, but I knew that when all this was over, I'd be back to normal and could finally recover. I didn't mind putting up with it for now for my father's sake.

I fell to sleep that night dreaming of the Cullens. I was glad of this. I needed to think about anything than what was going to happen tomorrow. This funeral really was going to be the hardest day of my life.

xXx

It was. I woke up earlier than I usually do. 6am. The funeral wasn't till 11. I felt empty as my eyes fluttered open, all my happiness and joy gone as I realized that today was the day I'd have to say a final farewell to my father. It would all just be confirmation that he was truly gone from my life and that he was never coming back. The truth was dawning on me and I wasn't taking to it too kindly.

I made breakfast in complete silence, the TV turned on low to provide at least some background noise. I sat at the table alone and ate my toast without uttering a single murmur. There was nothing to really be said. I'd either already said it or could not find the strength to say it. When I was finished, I cleaned my plate, watched a little TV, then went to wake up my sisters for the day. It had somehow managed to reach 9am and they would need to get ready.

Heidi helped Jane to get ready as I stayed in my room to prepare. I showered and quickly blow-dried my hair, letting it hang over my shoulders and down my back in loose waves. I slipped on the black dress I had brought a few days previous and applied light makeup to my face. I knew there was no use putting lots on, the tears would just wash it away. I put on the low heeled black shoes Heidi had convinced me to buy and then just sat on my bed, knowing there was little else to be done. I placed my hands in my lap and let out a breath.

It was 10.15am and time could not be going any slower. I reached for my black purse, making sure I had put in the pack of tissues I had brought yesterday. I knew they would be needed today, and not only by myself. Today would be a tear-fest, I could feel it.

However, there was a part of me that didn't want to go today. I knew what this whole thing was and what it would mean. A funeral was a way of admitting that someone was gone, that you were saying your final farewell to them. It was a way of confirming the end had arrived. I didn't want to believe my father was dead, I couldn't believe it. Yet I knew it was true. He was gone and he would never return.

A single tear slipped down my cheek.

But a part of me, a huge part, knew I had to go today. My sister's needed support, Charlie's friend's needed support, but most of all, Charlie would have wanted me there. I had to say my goodbyes, not just for me, but for him too. I would have been the worst person in the world for not going, and I felt a mass amount of guilt for merely considering it.

That was when I heard a knock on the front door. I stayed where I was, making no attempt to answer it. Heidi would answer it. Voices were heard then as the visitors entered our home, but I didn't listen to them. Instead, I just lay back on my bed, staring at my ceiling mindlessly. I wasn't in the mood for even more visitors, especially on today of all days. They would just be good-for-nothing strangers who wanted something. The real people who cared for my dad, like his friends, would already be making their way to the church. So, being the coward that I was, I let Heidi deal with them.

Jane was soon at my door, opening it and sticking her head through.

"Bella?" she said. "Uh… you have some visitors."

"Can't you tell them to go away. I don't want to see anyone right now," I said.

"I don't think they can. They said they've traveled a long way to see you."

With a roll of my eyes and an aggravated sigh, I sat up and got off the bed, making my way to the door and following Jane into the living area.

_Why can't people leave me alone? Don't they know what today is?_

My eyes widened and my breath caught itself in my throat when I saw who the visitors were, all my annoyance vanishing on the spot.

"Edward," I whispered at the figure before me as I launched myself into his awaiting arms. He caught me tightly, holding me to him, not letting me go.

I couldn't believe it. Edward was here… with me… in Phoenix. He had come all the way from Forks to visit little ol' me, and he wasn't alone either. Emmett and Rosalie had come with him, all of them dressed in suits and dresses. But what were they doing here? Well, their suits clearly indicated that they were most likely coming to the funeral, but I wanted them to tell me that themselves.

"Oh, Bella," he gently whispered in my ear and I felt his lips brush my temple. "Bella, Bella, Bella."

Almost suddenly, the feeling of emptiness I felt as I left Forks a week ago completely disappeared, just as if it had never even been there. They were with me again… _he _was with me again, and it was all that I could ask for. I suddenly felt complete again, like everything was going to be okay. It was a good feeling to have on today of all days. Eventually he let me go, setting me on my feet again.

"I don't understand," I said. "What are you all doing here?"

"You didn't seriously think we were going to let you go through this on your own, did you, Bells?" smiled Emmett as he hugged me too. "We've come to lend you our support."

"If that's ok," quickly added Rosalie.

"Of course it is," I grinned, hugging each one of them in turn. "Thank you so much."

I introduced them all to my sisters, Heidi giving me a suggestive wink when I introduced her to Edward. I ignored her. Tall, dark and handsome, as she had come to call him, did not like me as she often suggested during her phone calls.

Still, today was not a day for jokes, it was a day of mourning. And this was only reiterated as we all took our seats in the church that morning.

Only a few people were here to see my father off, making the church seem a little empty and vast, but they were the people who really mattered. Me, my sisters, the Cullens, Dad's best friends from the force, and a few of our neighbors who had always helped us out when we struggled with Charlie's illness. That's all I wanted there, that's all he would have wanted there, so they were the only people who were invited there.

Jane sat herself between Heidi and I, holding both our hands so tightly that they were turning white from the pressure. Her nervousness and anxiety were quite apparent, but I couldn't blame her. 9 years old and she had lost both of her parents before her life had even begun. She had never even had the chance to meet Mom since she died during childbirth, so Dad was all she had in the world to take care of her and raise her. Sure, Heidi and I did the best we could, but Charlie was her real parent, he was the one that mattered. And now he had gone too. Our family was leaving us one by one and it pained me to know that.

The mutterings of the congregation died down and silence filled the huge hall. With Charlie's coffin at the front, and the arrival of the vicar, the service finally began.

It was a very simple service, yet emotional and heartfelt all at the same time. Everything that needed to be said was said, and it was said beautifully. Hymns were sung, prayers were spoken and a speech from Heidi almost had the entire congregation breaking down. Jane blubbered as I held her to my side and Edward kindly took my own trembling hand in his when I allowed a tear to escape. I squeezed his hand in return, allowing him to see my appreciation of him being here for me.

Once the service was complete, we all made our way from the church and gathered to see the coffin burial. This was where most people came apart, almost everyone crying at one point or another. The truth of the matter was finally dawning on people. Charlie was dead, and he was never coming back. The only people who didn't cry was the Cullens, their vampiric bodies not allowing for it, but I could see the sadness on their faces and the sympathy swimming in their eyes.

Everyone gathered around the burial site as a few more people said a few more kind words and the vicar said his final piece. With his speech ending, the coffin was slowly lowered into the ground, disappearing from my sight inch by inch. Reaching for the tissues that were nestled in my bag, I pulled one out and used it to stop the tears that had begun to finally flow.

I had to admit, I felt a little disappointed in myself and just a little weak. I had done so well today. Whilst everyone else had cried, I had managed to hold it together and stay strong for myself and my sisters. I had put on a brave face and a strong front to show people that we were able to come out of this unharmed. But now, now that his coffin was finally going and the final goodbyes had been said, nothing could stop my weeping. The tears streamed down my cheeks in waterfalls, and I finally came undone. This was all really happening… Charlie was gone.

Edward's arm slowly snaked around my shoulder, pulling me into his side, offering me the condolence that I needed. I turned my face into his shoulder, no longer able to watch my father disappearing right in front of me. He rubbed my arm with his hand, offering me comfort in a way only he could. My body shook as the tears flooded from my eyes and onto the jacket of his suit. Thankfully, he didn't seem to mind, he just continued to let me sob. I slowly inhaled his musky scent, the smell helping me in a way. Edward always knew how to calm me down. He had done so countless times since I had known him, and he didn't let me down now. I could feel the tears easing, if only a little.

With the coffin finally in the ground, the burial began and the crowd eventually dispersed, either going home, going to the reception, or simply going to grieve.

I didn't move. I was glued to Edward's side, crying my heart out like I never had before.

_He's gone… He's really gone…_

"Bella," Edward gently spoke. "We have to get going. The reception will be beginning soon."

"I c-can't," I whimpered. "I don't want to l-leave him."

"I know you don't," he said, wrapping his other arm around me until he was embracing me. "But your sisters need you right now."

_My sisters._

I turned my head from his shoulder to see that we were the only two people left in the cemetery. Everyone else had carried on to the reception.

I suddenly felt different.

It was... done. It was all over now. The funeral was complete, my father was buried, everyone had said their goodbyes. Everything I had been working towards for the past week was done. A weight was lifted from my shoulders as I glanced at where my father's grave lay, the place now finally covered. I had finally reached the end of it and now I could finally begin to recover. I felt almost free.

Leaving Edward's arms, I slowly walked over to where my father now rested, gradually sinking to my knees before the grave. My eyes rested upon his gravestone, the only thing that now indicated where he was in this world. I let my fingers graze over his name as my tears slowly drew to an end. I felt Edward kneel next to me, no doubt getting his pants as dirty as my knees would now be. I let my hand drop back into my lap. Silence encased us, Edward obviously allowing me to be the first to break it.

"Did you ever see your mother and father's funerals?" I asked him.

"No," he replied. "As a newborn vampire, it would have been dangerous for me to be near so many humans."

I nodded, understanding his reason. Still, it most have been hard on him, not being able to say goodbye to the people who raised him and loved him.

"Do you ever regret not going?" I asked him, my eyes roaming the gravestone before me.

"Every day," he answered simply. "Every single day."

"You know, I didn't even want to come today," I told him. "I didn't want to say goodbye. Coming here would only make his death official and real to me. Does that make me a bad person?"

"Of course it doesn't," he replied. "It makes you… human."

I had to wonder if his answer had a double meaning, but I thought nothing of it. Instead, I just let out a breath and rested my head upon his shoulder again, enjoying his company and the insight into his life. Talking with Edward about what he went through allowed me to come to terms with my father's death a whole lot easier. Knowing that someone else, someone who was close to me, had gone through all this before made me a lot easier to understand. Just knowing how well and wonderful Edward had turned out, despite what he had experienced, gave me the confidence to know that I'd be alright too.

I was going to be fine… _I was going to be fine…_

"Do you think he's alright up there?" I asked referring to my father.

"He'll be fine," Edward replied. "Because he knows that his daughter's will be alright."

"Yeah," I smiled. "We will be."

Softly, he kissed my temple, causing my eyes to flutter closed and my face to flush. Gently, he rested his head on top of mine, allowing me a brief moment of silence and reflection. No words were needed and I liked it this way. My heart thumped as his head rested upon mine, and I felt him smile into my hair as it did.

_I can't help the way he makes me react! I mean, have you seen the guy?_

Eventually, I spoke.

"When are you going home?"

"We have a flight back to Seattle booked for tomorrow morning," he told me.

"Think you get can a spare ticket?" I enquired.

He pulled his head away from me to look into my eyes. I opened them up when I felt him do this and looked at him deeply, waiting for him to question what I had said. I didn't have to wait long.

"Are… are you sure?" he asked, slightly confused. "It's a little quick, isn't it, especially after the funeral? Don't you want to be home for a little while? What about your sisters?"

I shook my head and mustered a smile. "I've done what I needed to do here and my sister's know this. My father has had the send off he deserved and now I need to recover from my grief. They know I can't do that here, so I want to go back to Forks. It's where I want to be."

Edward smiled at me and placed a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "I'm glad to hear it."

"Plus I miss Alice," I quickly interjected, causing him to chuckle. "And I know how much you guys miss me." I grinned a cheeky grin.

"We do," he said in earnest, causing my eyebrows to raise a little. "We do miss you. We miss you like crazy, actually. _I've _missed you like crazy."

My heart thumped once again and my throat went considerably dry. I quickly composed myself.

"Well it's a good job I'm coming home then, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It is," he smiled lazily, looking deeply into my eyes.

That's when I saw it. That was when I saw something odd swimming in his eyes, something that had always been there, but I had never really took notice of until now. And the scary thing was that I enjoyed seeing it and always would. It was a sort of… affection, almost like he was fond of me or something. I'd always seen it in his eyes, but I'd never registered what it was till now. Did he… care for me? I knew I'd always had some sort of crush on Edward, after all, the guy was sex on legs, but did the look in his eyes mean he felt the same?

"Come on," he said, standing up and breaking me from my thoughts. He offered me his hand. "We have a reception to go to."

I took his hand and he pulled me back up to my feet, letting it go so that I could dust off my knees. He soon took it again however, as we began to make our way back to the apartment hand in hand.

I had finally done what I set out to do, and now that the sadness had finally left my body, I would finally be able to move on. The grief would always remain, as would the pain of losing my dad, but I knew I was recovering. Phoenix was a part of my life that I had to leave now, because a strange feeling within me told me that my future would now completely lie in Forks…


	12. Recover

_Hello all._

_I'm in a rush today, so it's a short A/N. I just wanted to get this chapter out for you._

_This chapter is named after "Recover" by The Automatic._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight._

* * *

Edward Cullen's Point of View

I didn't know what was happening to her, I really didn't.

She was _still_ different, she was _still _not herself, she was _still_ a shadow of what she used to be. Only this time, it wasn't my fault, so I didn't know how to put it right. Her heart had been broken and I knew I had to find a way to put the pieces back together again, and quick.

Charlie's death had really taken its toll on my Bella, and I didn't know what to do for the best.

_My Bella…_

Yeah, I'd taken to calling her that now, at least in my head I had. I didn't mean it in a possessive way, despite the fact that I felt fucking possessive of the girl who had become my singer and the center of my entire being. She was _mine_, nobody else's, and I planned to keep it that way. I meant it in the sense of that I felt for her. She was special to me in a way that nobody else had ever been. I knew it was because of the bond that we shared between vampire and singer, but somehow it felt more than that. It was like everything that I did now was for her. I found myself worrying about her, smiling about her, thinking about her every single moment of every single day.

Bella Swan had seriously gotten under my skin… and it felt fucking amazing.

This girl, this sweet human girl, she now meant more to me than anything. I'd never really understood the bond we would share due to our circumstances until now. Was this how Jasper felt around Alice? Is this how a best friend felt about another? Was this how a man felt when he was in love? Because that's what it sure felt like.

My thoughts, my feelings, everything I said and did… It was all for Bella, it all surrounded her; it was all aimed at her and only her. She had literally taken over my life and every fiber of my being. It wasn't just about the blood anymore, it was about something a whole lot more than that.

Could this feeling really be love?

I'd never really experienced love, at least not the love between a man and a woman. Sure, I'd experienced the love of a child to its parent, or a person to a friend, but never a love that ran so deep that you felt you would perish of that person ever left. The love of someone who wants to spend the rest of eternity with another. The love of finding your soul-mate and knowing that you'd be happy until the day you died. No, I'd never experienced that in my hundred years of existing.

But now, now that I had met my Bella, I was beginning to question if that was really happening to me.

Was it really what I thought? Could I be falling in love with Bella?

Everything seemed to add up. The millions of thoughts I had about her everyday, the constant need to be by her side, the want to make her happy at every opportunity I had. It all made sense. Emmett had called me whipped, but I didn't give a fuck. If my Bella was the person I was pinning after, then being whipped was perfectly fine by me. She was worth it.

When she left for Phoenix, my world had literally come crashing down around me, sending me with it. It had been the worst week of my entire life and I never wanted to feel like it again. I became a complete wreck, a quivering mess, a loner with no one to be with. Without her here, it was like I had no purpose, no meaning, no real reason to be. For the past few months, everything had been aimed at my Bella, I had been surrounded my her so often, so when she left, I felt myself utterly lost.

I didn't hunt much, I kept to myself, I mopped around the house and got on pretty much everyone's nerves. I became edgy and nervous, shouting about nothing and screaming about everything. I even made Alice cry once. She wanted to play video games with me and I snapped at her, telling her to leave me alone. I did a lot of groveling that night, not only to Alice, but to a very angry Jasper too. I couldn't blame him, I totally knew how he felt about this whole singer shit. We were both in the same boat after all.

I managed to call Bella once whilst she was away, and her voice sounding down the phones was like a beautiful light at the end of a very dark tunnel. She sounded like angels, calling to me and singing to me, making the happy and blissful feeling return to my body. I was home again. But then our call ended, and I ended up my depressed and selfish self again.

I never really realized how much I needed her till she was gone. Emmett was right, I completely fucking whipped.

By the end of the week, Carlisle practically threw me on a plane to Phoenix. The days of depression had gotten everyone down, so he sent me to my Bella, knowing it was the only way of cheering me up again. And when I saw her, dear god when I saw her, it was like everything fell back into place. My crashed world suddenly fixed itself. My depression left and happiness took its place. It was as if I had come home and all was well with the world. Bella was in my arms, hugging me with all her might, making me finally smile again.

And so it was true, her lack of presence just proved it all. I had pondered it and pondered it for hours and days, until I knew it was the truth. How I had not seen it before had me totally lost, because it had been staring me in the face since day one.

Isabella Swan. The creator of my world, the holder of my heart, the owner of my soul...

I loved her, I fucking loved her. I loved her like no other… and I always would.

But now my heart was breaking because seeing her the way she was acting was killing me. Since we had returned back to Forks, she had claimed that she was recovering from her father's death and that she was perfectly fine. But I knew better than anyone that you cannot recover from a parent's death so quickly. I still hadn't recovered from losing my mother and father, and that had happened almost a century ago.

My Bella put on a brave face, almost as if nothing was wrong. She smiled at everyone, she spoke without a trace of despair in her voice, and she continued with life as if nothing was wrong. But I'd read Jasper's mind, I'd read all of the emotions that he was picking up from her - the sadness, the depression, the misery and the grief. No matter how much she denied it, Bella was still not herself and I wanted nothing more than to put that right.

So I would… and I had the perfect thing to do that.

We would all be taking a trip to Seattle soon, something we did every year for Carlisle's work commitments, and this year, Bella would be coming with us. I hoped that getting her out of the house and visiting somewhere new would help boost her spirits and make her happy again. Carlisle and Esme were beyond pleased with this idea, as was Alice. The only person to tell now would be Bella herself.

I found her in the kitchen that afternoon, preparing dinner for herself and Alice. She was in a world of her own as she cut up the chicken in front of her, being careful not to cut herself or anything. She'd been doing that for weeks now, avoiding injury at all costs. She'd admitted herself that she was clumsy, so she was ridiculously careful in everything she did, claiming that she didn't want to spill her blood and get us all excited and hungry. I just found it adorable that she cared so much.

I coughed, making my presence in the kitchen known, trying not to make her jump and cut herself! She looked up at me with wide brown eyes and quickly relaxed, smiling when she saw me.

_God, how I loved that smile…_

"Hey, Edward," she grinned, returning to her chopping.

"Hi, Bella," I replied, walking over to her and taking my rightful place at her side. Well… at least I felt it was my rightful place. Emmett would have just laughed. "Making dinner I see."

"Sure am," she said. "I make an awesome chicken stir fry. Shame you can't eat it, because it would have blown your mind."

I laughed at her joke, the feeling within the kitchen warm and relaxed, just how it should be. "I'm sure it would have. So anyway, I wanted to ask you a question."

"Sure. Ask away," she said, finishing the chicken and moving onto chopping the vegetables.

"You ever been to Seattle?"

She shook her head. "Only the airport. I've never seen the city, but I've heard it's lovely."

"Wanna go?" I asked her.

She looked at me as if I'd asked her some sort of trick question and didn't know how to answer it for the best. Her eyebrows furrowed and her head tilted a little to the side, almost silently asking for me to elaborate. So I did.

"It's something we do every year," I began, turning a little and leaning back upon the fridge. "A lot of the hospitals in the Washington area usually gather each year for an annual charity ball and auction to help children's charities in the local cities. Since Carlisle is one of the senior doctors at the hospital, we're obliged to go"

She still continued to look at me as if my nose had grown or something, so I continued. "There's dancing and food and music, you'd enjoy it. We were just wondering if you would like to come with us this year."

My Bella looked at me for a few seconds longer, her silence weighing heavy as she took her time in making up her mind. I almost thought that she was going to reject the offer since she was so quiet, but a delicate smile suddenly graced her perfect pink lips. "I'd love to," she said.

I blinked, seeing her genuinely smile for the first time in a while. It was a fucking beautiful sight to see, and I knew my idea would help her recover. "That's… That's great," I replied, grinning in return. "Fantastic. Well, we leave tomorrow morning."

"Okay. How much will it cost me?" she pondered then, her glee rather apparent. It was like her whole body and spirit had changed, just like a child reacting to hearing about a day in Disneyland. She was no longer cutting food up like a robot, now she was alert and awake, every one of her senses alive. I could hear her delectable blood pumping through her body quickly as her excitement grew.

_Her blood… Don't think about her blood. You need her more than the blood…_

I quickly forgot about the scent she was throwing off and answered her question… even if it was an odd question to answer.

"Cost? It won't cost you anything, Bella. We're inviting you, we will pay for everything."

"Are… are you sure? I wouldn't want to be a nuisance. Please, let me pay for something, even if its just my food, or my hotel room."

I chuckled then and moved closer to her, her scent growing even stronger. I liked it.

_Weird masochistic bastard…_

"Isabella Swan," I began in my most gentlemanly voice, causing her to giggle. _It's like music.._. "We cordially invite you on our trip to Seattle for the weekend. That means you will pay for nothing, but can ask for anything, and will enjoy yourself to the max. All we want is for you to have a wonderful time. Now, do you accept?"

She looked at me with a bashful smile, her beautiful blush spreading profusely across her pale cheeks. She looked stunning.

"Well, when you put it that way," she smirked. "I don't think I can refuse. You're sure it's okay?"

"As sure as sure can be," I answered.

"Well, then I accept," she grinned. "I would love to go to Seattle with you."

"Brilliant," I replied, the happiness of her answer refusing to leave my voice.

She was coming with us, she had accepted our invitation, and I had never seen her look as relaxed in the past few weeks as she did now. She giggled at my apparent enthusiasm of her decision, the heavenly sound going right to my heart.

Yeah, Emmett was right. I was well and truly whipped!

xXx

We spent the whole of Saturday morning traveling to Seattle, and with the speed that we drove, we got there pretty quickly. At least these heightened vampire senses came in useful for something! Bella, Alice, Jasper and myself took my Volvo to the city, quickly finding our hotel amongst the masses of buildings. We quickly parked the car and entered the hotel to find our reservation. The rest of my family planned to join us later.

The moment we entered, Bella took a photograph of the front desk, much to Jasper's confusion and Alice's amusement. She'd been taking pictures of everything since we had set out that morning. She'd never really been on such a trip before, and she wanted to document every moment of it in order to remember it forever. She took pictures of us waking in the morning, Alice eating her breakfast, Jasper loading the bags into the car, me putting my seatbelt on. I felt a little peeved when she asked me to take a picture of herself with Jacob just before we left, but I complied. Anything for her.

I wasn't Jacob's biggest fan at the moment, especially when I read the thoughts he'd been having about my Bella recently. Sure, they were innocent enough, _Bella looks pretty today, I like how her pink shirt complements her blush, whoa, that's a low cut top, _but the thing was, she's mine, not his, and she never would be his. Jacob needed to get rid of this crush he seemed to have on her, because my relationship with her was far stronger than his would ever be. You could call me jealous, and I can happily admit that I was, but Bella was my life, and I wasn't going to let him take her from me anytime soon.

We quickly checked into the hotel we were staying at and made our way up to the room the four of us would be sharing, Emmett, Rosalie, and my parents sharing another. The room was huge, a kitchen and living area filled with sofas chairs and a large plasma screen. The en-suite bathroom, complete with bath tub and shower, led to the double bedroom.

The hotel rooms were purely for Bella and Alice really. Since vampires don't sleep, we never really had any need for somewhere to stay for the night. If we had our way, we would have left for Forks immediately after the ball. But in reality, we had two humans to look out for. Making them go to a ball and then travel home in the early hours of the morning was hardly fair, so we rented hotel rooms instead. They needed sleep and rest, so we would happily give it to them. Still, I wanted to make a weekend of this anyway, anything to cheer up my Bella.

"Whoa," said Alice when she saw the size of the place, her eyes almost bulging out of her head. Jasper chuckled at her reaction and immediately took her hand and led her to the large balcony that over-looked the city, allowing the two of them to take in the scenery. Bella just stood there, dumfounded.

"Jeez," she whispered as she cast her eyes over the room. "This place is bigger than my apartment back in Phoenix."

I laughed at her observation, but I didn't really feel that it was a laughing matter. I'd seen for myself the absolute squalor that Bella and her family lived in. The apartment was small, it was dingy, it was pathetically tiny for four people to have lived in. The place was falling apart too. Damp was creeping up the walls and the furniture had seen better days. I couldn't believe that Bella, her sisters, and her sick father had had to live in a place like it. I never realized how tight money was for her until I saw here she had lived all her life.

I wanted nothing more than to set that straight and get them a real home to live in. Perhaps if I spoke to Carlisle, he could hook Bella's sisters with better living accommodations…

"So, where do I dump my bags?" came Bella's sweet voice, breaking me from my musings.

I looked to her and saw her eyes boring into mine expectantly.

"Uh, the bedroom," I answered, leading the way and opening the door for her. "I guess you get first choice of bed."

Bella entered the room and took another look around. "Whoa, two double beds… what kind of a hotel has a room with two double beds?"

"This one, apparently," I smiled as she took her place on the one closest to the window.

She bounced up and down on it a little, testing out the springs, before looking back to me. I stood in the doorway, waiting for her to speak.

"Are you sure that this is alright? Surely I can pay for something."

I let out a sigh and walked over to the bed slowly, sitting myself next to her. I turned to face her and took her hand in mine, holding it tightly, loving the electrical surge that passed through my skin. She just wasn't getting it.

"Bella," I started. "When will you see that we just want to do something nice for you. Something to cheer you up, something to make you smile again. We don't want money from you, all we want is to see you having a good time. Trust me, we don't mind in the slightest paying for you, and don't be afraid to ask for anything. If you want room service, order it. If you see anything you like in town, we'll buy it you. If you want to bid on the auction tomorrow, go ahead. We will pay for it all. I just want to see you happy again."

Bella didn't reply to my words. Instead she just leant into me and wrapped her arms around my waist warmly. My body acted like a magnet, automatically hugging her back, encasing her in my embrace.

_Damn, this feels fucking amazing. Nothing should feel this good…_

"Thank you, Edward," she finally said, my lips curling up contentedly.

"For what?" I asked.

"Everything," she replied as she snuggled deeper into my chest, setting my mind and heart alight. She really had no idea how alive it made me feel to have her this close to me. It was like she belonged there, like her body fit perfectly into mine. Bella was an amazing person who was becoming more and more amazing each day.

I just hoped that the ball this weekend could keep the happy spirit she now seemed to have.

"You're too good to me," she finally whispered as she squeezed me a little tighter.

I was good to her, damn right I was! She deserved the best and only the best, and that was something that I was going to giver her. I _was _whipped after all.


	13. Fear

_Hello everyone!_

_A huge thanks to WeFallForever, Snusa, Coleen561, EdwardLuver93, MacNNcheese95, teamedwardtwilightfan, Ephany, mommymac0508 and mixmatched9 for their reviews. Thank you!_

_How is everyone? Good? Great! Well, we're back to Bella for this chapter, which has a bit of everything. Drama, angst, humor, romance. I hope you all enjoy it. As ever, let me know what you think._

_This chapter is named after "Fear" by Ian Brown. One of my favorite songs, totally awesome. I love the Unkle remix of it lol._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. My name isn't on the front of the book, so I assume it isn't!_

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

A party!

I was going to a party, a party where I could chow down and finally have some fun. I hadn't been to a party in years. The last party I went to was Jessica Stanley's when I was 10. I ate far too much cake and ended up puking all over Mike Newton's brand new sneakers. I'd had better days, but the cake tasted good.

But this wasn't a ten year old girl's party. Hell, it wasn't even a party, it was a ball, an expensive and magnificent ball. That means something much more sophisticated and posh and graceful, me being none of those things. I still wanted to go, though, and I could not hide the excitement. It was the first fun thing I would do since Charlie died, so I couldn't wait.

I was sitting in mine and Alice's hotel bedroom, getting ready, Alice attacking my face with makeup as I sat perfectly still. Alice insisted on 'prettifying' me before the ball and I had no choice but to comply. I wasn't exactly keen on a 12 year old making me look presentable, but I just amused her by letting her do it. No doubt I'd wash it off and re-apply it myself when she'd left.

Thanks to Rosalie's help and Esme's money, my hair had been curled into waves which hung down my back and over my shoulders, and my dress was hanging on the wardrobe door, ready to be put on.

Once we had unpacked on our morning of arrival, all of the girls headed straight into town, credit cards in hand and ready to be used. If I thought shopping with my sister back home was bad enough, then I clearly hadn't experienced Rosalie during her retail therapy. Man, the girl could shop! And believe me, she was far from afraid of spending money. I knew the Cullens were loaded, but jeez.

We had our nails done before we did anything, something that I was reluctant to try at first. I'd never been one for nails, but Rosalie insisted, practically pushing me through the door of the nail salon. I went with a simple French manicure whilst Rose and Alice went for crazy and colorful designs in order to match the dresses they wanted. We hadn't even seen any yet, but they seemed pretty set on a color. Rose wanted red and Alice wanted purple.

They got their wish. We went dress shopping immediately after and the pair of them brought two of the most beautiful gowns I had ever seen. Alice's was cute and floral, whilst Rose's was long and elegant, showing her model's figure off perfectly. Esme joined them, buying and emerald green dress that suited her beautifully, and then it was my turn.

"Get her something blue," Rosalie told the shop assistant. "Blue will go wonderfully with her pale skin."

The woman did just as she was told and hurried away. She eventually brought out a long midnight blue dress and I immediately fell in love with it. It was stunning! It was strapless and fell to the floor, flowing out it the best places. From the second I put it on, I knew it was the dress I wanted to wear for the ball.

Then I looked at the price tag.

"$1500!" I exclaimed. "No way, put it back."

"Don't be silly, sweetheart," Esme smiled as I watched Rosalie ignore my protests and take the gown straight to the checkout. "We told you that we would pay for everything."

"But surely that's too much money. I can't expect you to pay that sort of money for a dress that I'm only going to wear once."

"Nonsense," Rosalie said, handing the assistant the credit card she had used at least 10 times that day. "Every girl needs a princess dress, and it's perfect on you Bella. Edward will flip when he sees you in it." I raised my eyebrow at the last sentence she said, but ignored her words, thinking nothing of them.

_As if Edward would like _me_ in a dress. He probably won't even notice..._

After we brought our outfits, we proceeded to buy shoes, bags, accessories, you name it. The credit card bill was getting bigger and bigger, as was my guilt at letting these people buy me these things. Yet my protests fell on deaf ears. They wanted to do this for me, they insisted, and nothing would convince them otherwise. So I let it continue, no matter how much I wished it would stop.

After a long and hard day, we were finally done and we headed back up to the hotel. Alice and I had a quick meal, and then I found myself where I was now, sitting down, allowing Alice to apply makeup to my face. I had to admit, for a 12 year old, she was damn good at this makeover stuff! She must have learnt from Rosalie or something. She applied everything softly in order to give me a more natural look. A little mascara, blusher, eyeliner, lips gloss and I was good to go. I looked at myself in the mirror, knowing that I wouldn't have to reapply it after all. Alice had done an amazing job.

The clock was ticking down, and so with only a few minutes to go, Alice hurried off to her mother's room to dress, whist I wondered over to the wardrobe, holding up my own outfit.

_It is a damn good looking dress. Sexy too. Might turn a few heads tonight, Bella._

I shook my head and smiled at my silly thoughts before quickly undressing and slipping into my gown. It was like it was made purely for me. It fit me perfectly and made me look good in all the right places, giving me a little confidence. I slipped on the smalls blue heels I had chosen and turned to look at myself in the mirror and sighed at what I saw, my eyes racking over every inch of my reflection. I looked sort of… pretty, something I'd never seen myself look before. I was always one for wearing jeans and sneakers. It was magical what a dress and a bit of eyeliner could do.

Touching up my hair just a little, I realized I was good to go. I slipped my cell phone and money into my bag - the Cullens paid for my dress, I refused to let them pay for my drinks too - and walked over to the door. I could already hear Alice talking animatedly outside, so I knew she was ready and had shown Jasper her dress. I knew he would love it, she looked positively adorable when she tried it on in the store earlier. I raised my hand to the handle.

_Here it goes… show time._

I let out a breath and opened the door, stepping out into the main living area of the hotel room. Three heads turned to look at me all at the same time, freaking me out a little. Alice just smiled with glee, happy to finally see me emerge in something more than a sweater and a pair of converse. Jasper smiled in welcome, glad to see me happy for once since my father's death. Edward, on the other hand, just stared, his mouth agape a little. He licked his lips as he continued to stare up and down my form a little, causing a profuse blush to spread across my cheeks. I was the first to end the silence.

"So… what do you think?"

"You look so pretty, Bella," giggled Alice. "I knew you would."

"You look lovely tonight," Bella," Jasper said in his southern drawl. "Very lovely indeed. Don't you think, Edward?"

Edward just continued to stare, the faintest sound leaving his lips. "Wow," he whispered, making my blush just that little brighter.

I had to admit, Edward looked freakin hot tonight and I felt my stomach coil just a little at the mere sight of him. He stood there, tall and masculine, wearing a black suit and tie with shiny black shoes. His eyes were their usual gold and his bronze hair was messy upon his head. Only Edward could make the 'just woken up' look seem sexy! He could melt the panties off of any woman looking like that, and I had a feeling that he would be in high demand with the females tonight. I just hoped that he would spare a thought for me and perhaps ask me to dance.

_A girl can dream, right?_

"Thank you," I said in an embarrassed tone. I'd never had complements like them before.

"You ready to go?" Jasper then asked. "Everyone is waiting for us down in the lobby."

We all nodded and we made our way downstairs, me and the pixie careful not to tread on our long gowns. Jasper took Alice's dainty hand as they made their way down the corridor to the lift, whilst I waited with Edward so that he could lock up the room. Once his job was complete, he looked up to me again, his eyes swimming with an emotion that was foreign to me. They glazed over, his pupils dilating in a way that they never had before. He looked almost… hungry.

"Bella…" he finally spoke. "You look… Tonight you look… God… You look stunning." I had never seen him so lost for words before. It made him seem quite naïve really.

"Thank you," I flushed, feeling very timid all of a sudden. "You look very handsome yourself."

He smirked at me and offered me his arm, quickly composing himself. "Shall we?"

I nodded, took his arm and we made our way to the ball, my heartbeat just a little heavier than usual.

xXx

The ball was in full swing by the time we arrived, the room completely full. Hundreds of couples swept across the dance floor whilst others took to the bar to drink or to a table in order to talk. The music was loud, as was conversation, and the excitement hit me hard. The place looked amazing!

The ceiling was tall and marble like, the whole building supported by large stone pillars. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their crystals glittering like stars, and the whole room was lit up with hundreds of lights. There was a huge dance floor in the centre of the large room and a band playing in the corner. Tables and chairs were scattered around the edges in intervals, and a bar stood at the far wall along with several tables of food. I had never seen a place more wonderful in all my life.

Carlisle and Esme soon left us, Carlisle doing his job of mingling with other doctors and guests. Emmett and Rosalie hit the dance floor, whilst I took Alice over to the bar to get a drink.

"Isn't it wonderful, Bella," she said, her eyes alight as she gazed at all those dancing.

"Sure is pretty," I observed as I paid the barman and gave Alice her drink. She took a quick sip and we began to walk round, inspecting the place more fully. Everyone was dressed in their finest, all looking their very best in gowns and suites. I sort of felt out of place really. All these doctors and their families were good looking and rich, just like the Cullens. It made me feel a little insignificant being the girl from Phoenix who could just about afford to buy herself and a child a drink.

_I'm so cool!_

There were people eating at the tables, several standing to talk, many on the dance floor, moving in time with the lovely sounding music, and a few standing around long tables. Alice and I made our way over to one of them, spotting Edward and Jasper looking over what was upon the tables. I looked myself and noticed several pieces of paper, some written on, some blank, and all had pens. A few people signed the paper before walking away. My curiosity was immediately peaked.

"What's this?" I asked Edward as soon as I approached him. Alice had wondered over to Jasper. No surprises there!

"A silent auction," Edward told me, grinning when he saw me. _God… he looks handsome tonight!_

"I thought auctions were loud with some man banging a hammer," I said, feeling slightly confused.

"This is a different type of auction," he told me. "It works the same way, but in a silent auction, you merely right your bid instead of shouting it. Then, at the end, the highest bidder wins."

"Oh," I said, understanding now. "Makes sense. So, have you bided on anything?"

"Sure have," he said proudly. "I'll be watching a few items tonight."

"Like what?"

All he did was wink, not allowing me to know. It was a knowing wink, so I knew he wanted to keep them a secret. I smiled, fully understanding, though I had to wonder why he was keeping so quiet.

"Do you want to bid on anything?" he then asked me.

"Oh, no," I said. "I'm happy enough watching everyone else."

"Well if you do, just write the bid and-"

"You'll pay, I know," I giggled, finishing the answer off for him. It was a line that I had been hearing for most of the day. He chuckled and suddenly linked his arm with mine.

"Can I get you a drink?" he offered. I looked down to my glass, which I had only just realized was now empty, and gladly nodded.

"Yes please," I smiled. "I would love one."

xXx

The ball continued way into the night, the atmosphere alive and the fun growing. At around 9 o'clock, we were all called for dinner, which I gladly ate up. The steak we were given was cooked to perfection, though I hated seeing it go to waste on the Cullen's plates. I would have eaten it myself were I not so full. Then, after everyone had finished eating, the auction results were called out. I was eager to hear this. I had no idea what Edward - or any of the other Cullens for that matter - had bided on, and I was excited to see the results. The first winning bid was announced.

"The first prize," the gentleman at the front with the microphone began, "a pair of diamond encrusted 8 carat gold earrings, goes to the highest bidder, Mr. Joseph Button, with a bid of $200." Every one applauded the result, glad that plenty of money was being raised for the charities. Mr. Button stood and bowed to the applause, much to everyone's amusement, before the next result was called. This continued on for many minutes, each prize sounding as amazing as the last.

"Next was the weekend away in a holiday villa to Greece on the small island of Corfu for two people. The highest bidder here was… Mr. Edward Cullen with a very generous bid of $2775." Everyone applauded whilst I looked at the man seated beside me with wide eyes and slight shock. Who the hell would pay that much for a weekend away?

_Edward would. Duh!_

He just looked at me with a smile before he was congratulated by his family.

God, this family was beyond rich. I mean, I knew they were rich, but wowza! How could they afford to spend such money on so simple a prize? Either they were absolutely insane or had money to literally throw away. I knew it was for charity, but surely there had to be a limit. But that wasn't even the last of it. Emmet brought a vintage car for twice its sale price, Carlisle brought Esme a diamond necklace and Jasper brought a brand new motorbike. I could not quite believe it; they were spending money like wildfire. The last item was finally revealed.

"And the last item tonight is the two storey, 4 bedroom apartment room in sunny Phoenix, Arizona, with first years rent completely paid. The highest bidder here was Mr. Edward Cullen."

My eyes grew just a little wider as I swallowed. An apartment, a bloody apartment! Firstly, why had he brought an apartment building? He had no need for it after all, and second, why was it in Phoenix? Again, he merely looked at me with knowing eyes, telling me absolutely nothing, allowing my wandering mind to jump into overdrive with reasons, scenarios and suggestions. Edward was being too secretive and cunning tonight. I just wanted to know his reasoning.

Sadly I didn't get the chance to ask as in the next moment, the dancing started again and some random woman came up to dance with Edward, my previous confusion vanishing. She was an older woman who worked with Carlisle, probably around 60, but Edward happily agreed to accompany her to the dance floor. It was odd to feel the surge on unexplainable jealously that suddenly shook my body at the sight of my favorite vampire dancing with another woman. I did not know where it had come from or why, so I ignored, choosing to occupy myself with other things.

I took Alice and we began walking throughout the room again, looking at all the couples twirling around. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and I had to admit, I knew how they felt.

This party was wonderful, and I think I was enjoying it more because of the fact that I had not done anything like it in a while. I'd been so preoccupied with work, Alice, the Cullen secret and Charlie's death, that I had had very little time in order to enjoy myself. This was the first time I had been out in weeks and I was loving every minute of it. The music, the dancing, the food, the atmosphere. The Cullens sure knew the best places to go!

We walked around for a little while until Jasper finally approached us, a grin on his handsome face.

"You don't mind if I steal the pixie away for a moment, do you , Bella?" he asked me. "Only I promised her a dance and I know she's been waiting all night."

Alice's feet were practically bouncing with eagerness and anticipation as she looked up to me expectantly. How could I say no?

"Of course," I smiled, not one to stop the pixie when she was having a good time. "Go enjoy yourself."

Alice practically squealed with delight as Jasper mouthed a thank you to me, took her hand, and led her smoothly to the dance floor. I just stood for a while and watched them as Jasper picked Alice up and twirled her in a circle before placing her on her feet again. Her giggles even sounded over the loud band and her smile was tattooed to her face.

I'd always felt that when I was watching Alice and Jasper together, I was sort of invading their privacy as such. It was almost like I shouldn't be there and I should immediately avert my eyes elsewhere. I knew why, it was because of this vampire and singer bond that Jasper had once told me about. The link and connection between a vampire and a human that goes beyond anything ever known. A loyalty and love that ran so deep that they would be together until the end of time. The looks they gave each other, the way they spoke to each other, the way they touched and held one another. It was beautiful to see and witness, but at the same time something I felt I shouldn't. This was something between them and so I should leave them alone.

Knowing that I was viewing something that I shouldn't, I looked elsewhere, allowing my eyes to cast around the rest of the room and the rest of the party, giving the two of them some alone time.

The sights of the ballroom was a feast for the eyes; so much was going on! I spotted Esme and Carlisle on the dance floor, Emmett and Rose talking to another couple, the band playing wonderfully, a few people at the bar, a small child stealing a cake from the food table, eager not to be spotted, and then I saw…

_Oh lord…_

I froze and gasped, my eyes widening and my heart thumping at the sight before me.

I had to blink a few times in order to make sure what I was seeing was real, but the picture never changed. The person I was seeing was there, he was really there. He stood at the other side of the room, a glass of brandy in hand for appearances no doubt. He was dressed smartly and was deep in conversation with several couples , all of them laughing at what he had to say.

But what the hell was he doing here? He shouldn't be here, especially not anywhere near us. It was like my worst nightmare becoming a reality, here of all places. Why did he have to show up at the one place I seemed to be enjoying?

My breathing accelerated until I was practically panting, panic fully setting in and taking over my entire being.

What was he doing here? Why was he here? What did he want?

Standing on the other side of the room was none other than James.

Almost suddenly, I felt my legs give way underneath me as my fear overtook my body terrified body. I was frightened, I was scared, I was downright petrified. He had to be here for a reason, and since we were all here, his reason had to be the Cullens.

My legs gave way… but I did not hit the floor. A pair of icy cold arms instantly wrapped around my body before that could happen. Edward caught me, holding me tightly against his chest as my head fell weakly against his shoulder. My trembling body began to shake in his arms as he pulled me even closer, my eyes refusing to leave the vampire in front of me, the vampire who had once tried to kill Alice and had almost succeeded in killing me.

"Bella," Edward whispered into my ear, his warm breath tickling my skin. "It's okay. You need to calm down."

"H-He's here," I stuttered, my fear making words hard to form. "He's h-h-here. Why is he here?"

"I don't know, Bella," he whispered softly. "But he won't touch you. I swear. Not while I'm here."

"He shouldn't be here," I whimpered. "Why is he here? What does he want?" I could feel the tears building in my eyes.

"I'm not sure," Edward told me, his arms tightening around me a little more, protecting me and making me feel a little easier. "But we need to get you out of his sight. If he sees you or Alice, or any of us for that matter, I'm not sure what he will do. Do you think you can stand?"

I wriggled my toes a little, finding that the strength had returned finally to my legs. "Yes," I nodded.

"I'm going to lead us to the dance floor, okay? At least he won't see us mixed with the dancers."

"Alright," I agreed as he let me go and swiftly took my trembling hand. He quickly walked us to the dance floor and soon took me in his safe arms once again, holding me against him and swaying me to the soft music that played. I placed my hands upon his shoulders and swayed too, my eyes constantly set on James. It was more difficult to see him now that we were surrounded by dancers, but I could just about make him out of I tried really hard.

The music was slow, making it a whole lot easier for my clumsy feet to dance to, yet at the same time made the dance feel rather intimate. Yes, I was terrified and I had my eyes set constantly on James, but I did not fail to recognize Edward's lean body pressed against my own, his arms wrapped around me and his heavenly voice sounding sweetly through my ear. No matter how much I wanted to watch James, my eyes could not help but flutter closed when Edward spoke. My stomach coiled again.

"He won't find you in here," he said softly. "There are too many people around you for him to single you out."

"Do you think he's here for us?" I asked Edward as my head unconsciously lay itself comfortably on his shoulder. I was rather surprised when he leaned his own head on top of mine, making the dance all that more intimate.

_This must be a dream, this is too amazing to be real…_

"I can't say for sure," Edward replied. "His thoughts are too preoccupied with his current conversations. I don't know how I didn't pick up his thoughts sooner. I should have spotted them a mile away."

We danced for the remainder of the song, my eyes finally opening again and training themselves upon James as before. Edward did the same. We danced in a slow circle, me watching him when I faced him and Edward watching when I couldn't. He did not move from his spot on the far wall, and he was always too busy with his conversations to notice we were there at all. But I did not want him to notice us, not at all. When the song ended, I finally spoke up.

"Can we leave please?" I asked Edward. "I don't feel so well. I just want to lie down."

Edward looked at me gently and nodded. "Carlisle isn't obliged to leave until the end, so I'll take you back to the hotel. Give me a moment to tell him we are leaving and we can go."

Edward was literally 5 seconds in telling Carlisle of our actions, letting him know what was happening and where we would be going. He instantly returned to my side, took my shaking hand, and led me to the door and away from the party.

The fresh air outside felt amazing, and I literally pumped it into my lungs as I breathed in. It livened me up and woke me a little, helping shed my terror away. The chill of the night made my body dither, but Edward was soon at hand, placing his suit jacket comfortably upon my shoulders for protection before flagging us down a taxi.

How had this happened? Oh, how? What the hell was going on? I was having a brilliant time, enjoying myself after all the sadness that had entered my life, when he had to come right back into it. James, the man I feared above any other. The man who had once tried to kill me and would no doubt try again.

I did not understand any of it and my mind continued thinking in this way as Edward and I entered a taxi and made our way back to the hotel.

This night had been wonderful, so why did it all have to go so wrong?


	14. Undisclosed desires

_Hi!_

_A massive thanks to lynne0731, MacNNcheese95, Ephany, Coleen561, Cina's, mommymac0508, sujari6, mixmatched9 and teamedwardtwilightfan for their lovely reviews. Thank you!_

_So, another day, another chapter, and I guess we now have to deal with the aftermath of the ball. This is definitely one of my favorite chapters and I loved writing it, so I hope you all enjoy it too. It is rather short compared to other chapters, but I feel that I ended it in a good place ready for my next update. As ever, let me know what you think._

_This chapter is named after "Undisclosed Desires" by Muse. I. Love. Muse! Its as simple as that! They are amazing._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight… or do I?… No, I don't._

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

My body shivered from the sudden temperature increase as we entered the hotel room. After a freezing cold, 20 minute taxi ride, for once in my life I was grateful for central heating. Edward switched the lights on, illuminating the dark room and hurried over to the balcony doors, closing the curtains swiftly and blocking off the rest of the world.

I stood by the closed door, still enveloped in Edward's black jacket, getting used to nauseating feeling that remained in my stomach. The shock had essentially worn off now, but the after effects hadn't. I felt sick and dizzy and just a little fearful, every nerve in my body on edge. Edward quickly returned to me, taking the jacket from my shoulders and throwing it over one of the kitchen chairs.

"You should go change," he told me softly. "You'll be much more comfortable out of that gown."

As beautiful as my dress was, I would rather wear something a little more relaxing. I nodded and rushed to my room as quickly as my heeled feet would carry me. I shut the door, slipped my shoes off and cast them along the floor somewhere. I headed to my wardrobe, pulling out a t-shirt and some sweats before I shimmed out of my dress and put the more comfortable clothes on. I hung my dress up and placed it neatly in the wardrobe, too afraid to get it creased or dirty. I quickly put my slippers on before I finally just sat down on my bed, and stared and stared and stared at the wall in front of me.

My mind and my body were like two separate entities, my brain whizzing and whirling too much for me to do anything physical.

What the hell had just happened?

Really, what had happened? Whether it was dream or reality, I had just seen James, the man who wanted me dead, and I could not shake the terror and horror from my head.

I knew that since I was with Edward and I had returned to the hotel room, I was essentially safe from the mad-man, but my mind could not help thinking about the 'what ifs' of tonight. It was stupid to think of such things and get myself worked up over nothing, but the night had obviously shook me and I could not fight the scenarios from my mind, each one as scary and as chilling as the next.

What if James had spotted me and attacked me there and then? I had no way of knowing whether he saw me or not. For all I know, he could have completely missed me at the party and would be none the wiser to my presence. But what if he did know and was just biding his time? He was a vampire who wanted my blood, he had proven that fact when he visited the Cullens all those nights ago. He had tried before and would no doubt try again to take it. He may have attacked Edward too, the two of us ending up hurt tonight. This could have all ended so much worse than it had.

What if Edward hadn't even been with me? Who was to say that Edward would have rushed to my side upon my initial panic? It could have been so easy for James to just walk over and take me. No one would be any wiser, but I would be dead and James would have had his fill of my blood.

What if it had been Alice that he attacked? I was 20 years old, a grown woman. I could at least defend myself in some sense, even though the attacker was a vampire. But Alice was a 12 year old child; she was vulnerable and naïve. She would have been easy prey for someone like James. At least she would have had Jasper at her side, the thought giving me at least a little relief.

I quickly shook my head of the scenarios, the sick feeling returning to my stomach. None of that had happened, and now none of it ever would. I had left, James was gone, the whole thing was over... right? Eventually, when my legs found strength, I stood up and headed out of my bedroom. I cautiously opened the door to the main living area and peaked out, my guard held up high. Who was to say he wasn't here now? He may have followed us back, ready to pounce at the opportune moment.

_Bella, James isn't here. Only Edward is. You're perfectly safe now, nobody will hurt you here._

My subconscious was right. I was being stupid. Edward was here to protect me, wasn't he? James had no chance of attacking me now, not with my favorite vampire here. So I stood up tall and entered the living area, closing the bedroom door behind me. Edward was in the kitchen area when I spotted him, filling a glass with water. He turned his head and offered me a comforting smile when he saw me.

I let out a quiet sigh. Edward looked so handsome tonight. No matter how frightened I was, I would never be able to miss that fact. His crisp white shirt made his pale skin seem a little darker, his fitted pants showed off his amazing physique, and his tie hung loose around his neck with the top button of his shirt undone, giving him a sort of bad-boy image.

_Damn, I could eat him up right now. Wonder what he looks like under the shirt… and the pants?_

I mentally scolded my subconscious. I had just come face to face with the man who wanted me dead, now was not the time to be imagining Edward Cullen naked! I returned his smile and made my way over to him. He handed me the glass and two Tylenol.

"Here," he said. "These should help you feel a little better."

I knocked the tablets back with a mouthful of water and placed the empty glass in the sink. Edward walked over to the sofa and sat down, sinking back into the cushioned seat. He let out a breath and ran his fingers through his already messy hair. It seemed the night hadn't just taken its toll on me. Knowing that we needed to discuss whatever the hell had just happened, I sat myself on the sofa too, bringing my knees up to my chest and turning my body to face the vampire.

He was silent for a while, just staring at whatever was in front of him. It was almost as if he was afraid to speak or utter a word. It wasn't that he didn't know what to say, it was more like there was too much to say and he did not know where to start. He loosened his tie a little more, almost as if it was strangling him. Whether it was or not, he was a vampire and could live with it regardless. The silence became heavy and I knew that I would have to be the one to break it.

"Do you think he was there after me or Alice?" I asked him.

It was a simple question really, but also one that needed to be discussed. Yes, James was present at the party, but who was to say that he knew we would be there at all. The whole thing could have been a mix up, a mere coincidence, two people in the same place at the same time.

He shrugged his shoulders, his eyes still trained in front of him. "Don't know, I couldn't say. Perhaps he didn't even know we were there. His mind showed no signs of any knowledge of us there tonight, and I'm sure he would have made his presence known if he did."

I nodded, understanding Edward's theory. It still didn't shake away the fact that he _had_ been there. Whether it was for my benefit or not, seeing him again brought up bad memories. I shivered at the thought and Edward immediately noticed, quickly turning his head towards me.

"Are you cold?" he asked. "I can get you a blanket if you like."

I shook my head. "I'm not cold, just… thinking."

"About James," Edward said. It was a statement, not a question. He had told me he had never been able to read my mind, but he didn't need his ability to figure out what was going on in my head. Nobody did.

"Yeah," I said, a little embarrassed that he had guessed so easily. "I can't help but think, what if?"

He moved closer to me till his knee was touching my leg. He held my hands in his and looked into my eyes deeply. I was hypnotized.

"There are no 'what ifs', Bella," he said in earnest. "I would never have let him touch you. Never. He could have tried all he wanted, but I would never have let him within an inch of you. You were always safe, despite his intentions."

I smiled at Edward, my heart fluttering quickly at his kind words. He must have noticed because his thumb began to run smoothly across the backs of my hands. I swallowed and blushed. I hated the way that I could give away my feelings so easily. I knew it wasn't my fault, his vampiric hearing allowed him to sense everything, but it still didn't stop the embarrassment.

"I know you would have protected me," I said. "You did last time and I know you would do it again."

"Of course I would," he said. "There isn't any question about it, Bella. Your safety is what matters. I'm just here to make sure you're taken care of."

I flushed then, the coil winding in my belly again. Why did Edward always make me feel this good? It wasn't just his looks, it was everything. His words, his kindness, his protective nature. I liked the feeling he gave me, it was pleasant and warm. I wondered if he had this affect on every woman he spoke to.

"... Bella?" he asked, waving his hand in front of me.

"Huh?" I said focusing in on his face.

"I think you were daydreaming," he chuckled. "I said, do you want to watch a movie or something? We've both had a long night and I could do with doing something normal and relaxing now."

"Uh… sure," I said, blushing due to my wondering mind.

_Damn, the things Edward does to me!_

He sat up and rushed to his bag, bringing out a DVD he had brought from home. I walked to the kitchen area and made myself a cup of hot chocolate, knowing the warm drink would relax and calm me. It was something I always made for my sisters to help calm them or relax them. Whether it was the warmth, or the chocolate, the drink would always help, no matter what the situation was. When I turned to return back to the sofa, I found Edward lying across it, arms behind his head. I gawped. Where was I going to sit?

He stared up at me and chuckled, holding his arms out in front of him, welcoming me in, just like a hug. I continued to stare like an absolute idiot. Did Edward Cullen,_ the _Edward Cullen, seriously want me to lie next to him? Surely not. The position would be far too intimate for us and I didn't know if he wanted to be that close to me. My body was showing my reluctance, but my head was screaming for him to hold me.

"Come on, Bella. I won't bite," he told me. I raised an eyebrow at his words and he laughed when they registered in his head. "Well, I won't bite _you._ I promise."

He seemed pretty confident of himself and the fact that I would answer to his wishes… and he was right. My legs moved on their own, heading in his direction. I set my mug upon the coffee table and lay in front of him on the sofa until he spooned me. He rested his arm lazily across my stomach and pulled me closer to him, placing his head ontop of mine until the top of my head was under his chin. He pressed play on the DVD remote, and snuggled down deeper into the sofa, tightening his embrace, ready for the film.

He just lay there, acting as if this was the most normal thing in the world. Me, on the other hand, had every single sense set on high, disbelief and glee running through my brain.

We were spooning… Spooning! It was like some romance film, or some mushy novel. But instead, it was real life and Edward was holding me to him, almost like we were lovers or something. This had to be a dream, surely. This could not be real life. The stomach coil wound tighter, making me feel on top of the world. My back flush against his chest meant that I could feel every movement he made, his breathing, his laughter, the vibrations when he spoke. I felt it all.

And we fit together, that was the strangest thing. It was like two puzzle pieces, like he was made for me. I was just grateful that he could not see the profuse red blush that was spreading up my cheeks. I tried my very hardest to calm my unsteady breathing. My quickening heartbeat was probably giving my feelings away to Edward, I didn't need my breathing adding to the problem.

I knew I shouldn't, but I liked it. The spooning, the holding, the touching. It was nice, it was pleasant, it was downright perfect! Nothing should ever feel as good as having Edward Cullen hold you to him, wrapping his arms around you and keeping you close. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world, like all my Christmases had come at once.

Edward Cullen, hottest guy to grace the planet, was holding me, and I was loving every minute of it!

xXx

We watched the film for over an hour, my excited and still amazed body managing to calm itself down to show some regularity. My mind was still going at a hundred miles an hour, but my body had created some form of normality.

_Hmmm… Seems I'm getting better at this!_

And then something changed. Well, I say something, I knew what it was. It was Edward. The laughing had stopped, the vibrations from his talking had stopped, I could no longer feel his chest on my back, rising and falling in breathing. He was completely still.

My eyebrows furrowed as my curiosity peaked. What was wrong with him? Why the sudden change? What was going on?

Being as slow and as gentle as I possibly could, I turned myself over in his arms until I was finally facing him. This would probably be the simplest task in the world to a normal person, but I was Bella Swan, the clumsiest idiot in the world. I made so much noise and made so much movement that I almost fell from the sofa! I was surprised he didn't move to see what the hell I was doing. I eventually made it and raised my eyes to look at his face.

His eyes were closed and he was stock still, like a statue or a dead body. _Well, I suppose he is in a way_! I didn't know what he was doing since I knew vampires did not sleep. It was like his body was there but his mind had gone, almost like meditation. Was he meditating?

All I knew was that it gave me the opportunity to look at Edward, as in truly look at him, and I wasn't going to pass the chance up. I'd looked at Edward before, sure I had, but never this close or in such detail. And with his face a mere inch from my own, I would never have a better chance to do it as I had now. My eyes roamed every inch of his face, taking the sight in and committing it to memory.

I saw how prominent his cheek bones were, how straight his nose was, how clear and pale his skin seemed. No matter how cheesy or cliché it sounded, the vampire really was a vision of perfection. No man would ever be able to look as handsome or as beautiful as he did, and he wasn't even trying. His bronze hair was in its usual disarray upon his head, and his eyelashes created shadows across his skin, giving it a little definition.

_God, I really must be the luckiest person on the planet being this close to him…_

Gently, I lifted my hand up to his hair, running my fingers through the soft strands, loving how they felt across my skin. Like whispers of silk. I slowly pulled my hand away, afraid to wake him up. My eyes looked at his closed eyelids, his nose, his cheeks… and then his lips. They were so pink and perfect, just the right shape and size, the bottom lip a little bigger than the top.

_Jeez, I wonder how many women have felt those lips on them. Kissing them, touching them, caressing them…_

I stopped my subconscious mid-sentence, not wanting to even think about such a thing. The man was stunning, he'd no doubt been able to get any woman he ever wanted. I didn't want to muse on what he had done with them or they with him. But the more I looked at the lips, the more _I_ wanted to feel them. I did not matter that I wouldn't feel them upon my own, I just wanted to touch them. Again, I cautiously lifted my hand, this time ghosting my fingers across the soft pink skin, feeling the softness of the lips upon my finger-tips…

And then his eyes opened.

They looked straight at me, his golden orbs meeting my brown ones as panic set in. I gasped as I quickly pulled my hand away, but Edward grabbed it before I could do such a thing. I began to panic even more. Oh god, had I done something wrong? Did he not like my touch? Did he want to know what the hell I was doing? Did he want to know why the stupid freak in front of him couldn't stop running her fingers over every body part she could find? His grip was so tight, his eyes so accusing. He was mad. Lord, he was mad at me.

I was about to apologize for my behavior, when he suddenly lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed it, letting his lips linger on the skin before gently pulling away. My eyes widened, not only in shock, but in anticipation. The atmosphere in the room had suddenly changed. Whereas before it was warm and friendly, it was now red hot and electrifying. His golden orbs bore into mine, hypnotizing me and drawing me in like nothing ever had before. I was trapped in them, locked in them, held in them, and I had no way of escape. But did I want to escape?

No, I didn't.

"Bella," he softly whispered, lust lingering in his tone as his eyes finally left mine, only to look down upon my own lips.

Did… Did he want to… kiss me?

Why else would a boy look at a girl's lips unless he wanted to kiss them. I swallowed. Hard. Goosebumps rose across my skin as my heartbeat picked up again, all my previous hard work of calming it wasted. But why would he want to kiss me? He could have any girl in the world. He had his pick of anybody, so why would he choose me over the other billions of girls on the planet? He was so close, just one push forward and our mouths would connect. That was all it took. One of us had to do it, but the question was, which one?

The answer? I soon got it as Edward began to slow move his head down towards mine.

_Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod…_

I instinctively closed my eyes, just as he did, waiting for the kiss to come…

Sadly, the door to the hotel room had to open before anything could happen.

Jasper and Alice sprang through the door, Alice full of chatter as Jasper laughed at her words. It was ruined, the moment was ruined. It was just my luck.

"Pretend to be asleep," Edward whispered to me as he got up, his vampire speed coming in handy, and went to greet the two new arrivals. I quickly closed my eyes, feigning sleep as best as I could.

"How was the ball?" asked Edward.

"It was great," I heard Alice beam. "We danced all night. It was amazing."

"Glad you had fun," Edward chuckled.

"But I'm all danced out, so I'm gonna go get some sleep," she soon added. I heard her yawn as her echoing footsteps headed towards our bedroom.

"I'll take Bella to the room," Edward told Jasper. "She's already fallen asleep."

Keeping my eyes closed tightly, I felt Edward lift me from the sofa bridal style, and head towards the bedroom.

"Was she okay tonight?" Jasper asked. "I noticed you left a little early."

"She wasn't feeling too well," Edward said, a sentence which wasn't a complete lie. James's appearance had made me feel a little ill.

Edward soon carried me into the room, where Alice was already in her bed, her eyes shut in sleep. Wow, she really must have been tired! The vampire pulled my quilt back and placed me delicately in the bed, tucking me in.

"Edward," I began, needing to discuss things with him.

"Shhh," he gently soothed. "You've had a long day. You really need some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."

"But-"

"Tomorrow, Bella."

I nodded, knowing that it was the best answer I was going to get tonight. He looked at me for a brief moment, then stroked my face tenderly and affectionately with his fingers. "Goodnight, Love," he whispered before turning and leaving the room, leaving me with the darkness and my thoughts.

He nearly kissed me, he was about to kiss me, his lips were about to connected with mine… and I didn't know how I felt about that. Actually, that's a lie, I knew exactly how I felt about it. I felt angry that it hadn't happened. I wanted him to kiss me, I wanted to feel his soft caress as he showed me with his actions how he felt… if he felt _anything_.

I knew deep down in my heart that I felt for him. Edward was in my thoughts while I was awake and in my dreams while I slept. I loved his company, I loved his personality, I loved his looks, and I had a connection with him that I didn't seem to have with anyone else.

I had wanted Edward to kiss me, and it frightened me that he almost had.

Something was happening between us, something big… and I couldn't wait to see where it would take us.


	15. Kissing you

_Hello!_

_A huge thanks to sujari6, Coleen561, mixmatched9, MacNNcheese95, Cina's, RachelGreen1994, teamedwardtwilightfan, WeFallForever and mommymac0508 for their reviews. Thank you!_

_So here it is. We've been building up to this for a while now, and I know that you have all been asking for it. So here it is. I just hope you like it. There is much more to come from here. Enjoy!_

_This chapter is named after "Kissing you" by Des'ree. As ever, let me know what you think._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I know this, you know this. It's no big surprise, despite how much I wish it was mine. Think of the money, think of the fame, think of the acclaim. Damn, why don't I own Twilight?_

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

The music room in the Cullens house was a truly beautiful place to be. I loved the room with a quiet passion, despite the fact I had only ever been in it once or twice. It was so warm and pleasant and peaceful. I adored it and felt for it dearly, almost like it belonged to me. But what made me love it the most was that it was _his_ favorite place too. His refuge, his home, his sanctuary. When I thought about it, it wasn't the Cullen's music room at all; it was Edward's.

There were many items within the room - guitars on stands, violins in cases, flutes and clarinets on shelves, even a drum kit sat in the corner. But the big visual piece was the large grand piano that stood in the very middle. It could only be described as stunning, which was exactly what it was. Its large, black and shiny surface reflected the sunlight, almost making it glow, giving it an aura of magic. Its keys were of the purest white and black, making me just a little afraid to even touch the object.

Edward, however, had no such fears. He sat down at it without even thinking, his hands automatically rising and pressing down onto the keys to create the most beautiful of notes, the sounds ringing and echoing throughout the room.

I sat down next to him, sitting there in complete silence as he continued to play, wrapped totally in the music that was spreading forth from his fingers.

I'd heard Edward play before and had been immediately impressed with what I had heard. The man had a natural talent for something that I found so difficult. Yes, he taught me to play a simple melody that first time I saw him, but that was as far as my skills went, I could do nothing more. But Edward… Edward played as if it was a part of life, as if it was nothing at all. Playing to him was almost as easy as breathing. It was how he lived.

But though I could not play, I took so much enjoyment merely from listening to him. It brought a smile to my face and put a spirit into my heart that had not been there for the past 24 hours.

We had left Seattle the very next morning, the previous night's events putting us all in the worst of moods. Though they had not seen him personally, the whole family now knew about James's sudden appearance, and it had shaken everyone. They were not afraid for themselves, one vampire verses six was no competition, but they were afraid for Alice and I. We were the defenseless ones, we were the ones he wanted, we were the ones he could easily attack.

So panic and protection had set into the vampire's hearts and we left early the next morning, all of them wanting to put as much distance between ourselves and James as possible.

I couldn't say I was against the idea - I hated the bastard as much as the next person - but the weekend which was supposed to help my recovery and put me in better spirits had been completely wasted. Instead of calmness and tranquility, I now felt nervous and anxious.

One step forward, two steps back. That's how the weekend felt to me.

Still, the one step forward had been the one thing that stuck out most in my mind. Last night, the one night Edward and I found ourselves alone, and he almost kissed me.

I wasn't quite sure how to process that information; it had kept me awake for half the night. If Alice and Jasper had not interrupted when they had, the kiss would have happened. I was sure of it. His lips were ready for mine, I had seen them, and mine had been ready for his. His lips lowered and they lowered, and their target was my mouth. I wanted Edward, and for that split second, he wanted me.

But did he?

When Jasper and Alice arrived, he immediately pulled away, almost like he had been electrocuted. When I tried to speak to him in my bedroom, he refused to talk. And now, sitting here in his music room, listening to him play, the almost kiss had not been mentioned once; it hadn't even been alluded to. Was it all as magic and as fairytale as I had first assumed it to be? Or had he merely been caught in the moment.

What if he hadn't been serious about kissing me? He had just woken up after all. Who was to say he wasn't disorientated and wasn't too sure what he was doing? And then there was the refusal to talk afterwards, sending me straight to bed without so much as an explanation. What was all that about? And now, sitting here next to him, almost as if we hadn't almost kissed each other's brains out last night, it frustrated me beyond belief. I had wanted to kiss him and still did. I was feeling things for Edward that I had never felt before, and I just wanted to know where we stood with each other. Did he want to kiss me, or not? Did he feel for me, or not? Was our relationship going anywhere, or would we be merely acquaintances, living in the same house?

But as I sat there, allowing his music to flood my senses, I didn't have the heart to ask. I was just too busy listening. He had invited me here as soon as we had all unpacked, wondering if I wanted to listen for a while. He knew how much I loved hearing him play, so I could not refuse. But now that the seed of doubt had been planted in my head, I didn't know whether this was going to turn out to be a relaxing music session, or ground for an argument.

Finally, he stopped playing and placed his hands in his lap.

My eyes, previously closed from basking in the music, fluttered open and gazed quizzically at the vampire beside me. He was still as a statue, his eyes and mind far away, his brain deep in thought.

Seeing him in profile like I was now, made my heart almost twist in a masochistic pain. He looked so stunningly beautiful, every part of him in perfect proportion. He was the best specimen of a man that I had ever seen, and no matter how much it hurt to look at his beauty, I could not tare myself away from him.

But this creature, this glorious creature who had gotten completely under my skin… What did he really want from me?

I opened my mouth to speak, my words literally on the tip of my tongue, when Edward beat me to it, his heavenly voice sounding deeply and heavily.

"There's something I want to discuss with you."

I swallowed. "Of course. You know you can discuss anything with me."

Was this it? Was Edward going to start the conversation I had struggled so much to begin?

"It's about the apartment I purchased at the charity auction," he said.

My shoulders slumped. _Oh_. I wasn't expecting this. I was sure we had more pressing matters to discuss than what he had brought at the charity auction.

_Pressing matters such as… oh, I don't know… you holding me and almost sticking your tongue down my throat last night!_

"What about it?" I questioned.

"I just wanted to discuss what I plan to do with it," he said, his fingers curling round each other nervously. I wasn't sure if he intended for me to see his discomfort, but I saw it all the same. What could be so nerve-wracking about an apartment that made him act like this?

"Well, what do you plan to do with it?" I inquired, pushing him in order to relax his nerves. Something was bothering him, so the quicker he got it out, the quicker he could calm down.

"That's the thing," he began. "I know exactly what I want to do with it, but it all depends on whether people approve."

"Like who?" I asked.

"Well… you," he said, looking at me for the first time since we entered the room. I wasn't sure if I was looking at the right person when I saw his face for the first time. All that nervousness and anxiety that I had witnessed plaguing his body was nowhere to be seen on his face. His eyes were determined, his jaw set, his entire face at complete ease. He was confident and brave as he sat there.

"Me?" I said with my eyebrows furrowed. "What's this got to do with me?"

_Shouldn't we be talking about last night…?_

"It's got everything to do with you," he explained. "Though, not _you_ exactly, more like your sisters."

"Jane and Heidi?" I questioned, more surprised by this answer than anything. What the hell did this have to do with my sisters?

Edward quickly took my hands in his, a profuse blush spreading across my cheeks merely from his touch. It was electrifying.

"When I went to your father's funeral," he began, "I saw the state of the place you lived in." I stared at him accusingly, but he continued and elaborated. "It wasn't what I expected. It was small, poky, a mess. The place was falling apart and it killed me that I had lived in a house like this," he gestured around the room with a slight flick of his head, "all my life while you had to suffer. I would never forgive myself if I didn't do anything about it."

I held my breath, wondering where this was going. "Edward… I don't understand."

"I want to give the apartment to your sisters," he smiled. "I don't want them to live in poverty anymore, not if I can do something about it. The apartment is only a short drive away; they can remain in Phoenix, but have the gift of a better place to live. My family will pay any rent or bills they have, all they have to buy is food. I want them to live a life of luxury, and I'm going to give them that."

My throat constricted in sobs as tears filled my eyes. I couldn't believe it. I truly could not believe it. I raised my hand to my mouth in an attempt to stop my cries.

_He wants to give them a new home…_

This gift, this wonderful gift he was giving my family, was beyond words. He was giving them a brand new home and a way to get by in life. He was answering all our prayers and giving us the life we craved so much. I had never witnessed anything so wonderful or so kind in all my life. My heart filled with thanks and generosity, I could not have been happier than I was right then.

"Are… are you serious?" I asked, needing to know if this was all a dream.

"Yes," he smiled. "I've never been more serious."

"You're giving them a new apartment?"

"Yes."

"A new home?"

"Yes."

"A better way of life?"

"Yes," Edward chuckled. "Why can't you believe that? I am giving _your _sisters the apartment I brought, no strings attached."

I practically launched myself into his arms, wrapping my own around his neck and pulling him as close to me as humanly possible, hugging him tightly. I needed to show him my thanks, my gratitude, my downright happiness. He had made my day, my sister's day, he made everything so much better. No more scrapping money to pay the bills, no more furniture falling apart, no more damp creeping up the walls. Heidi and Jane would be living in the lap of luxury. They would never want for anything and they could have the life they had always wanted and rightly deserved. And it was all because of him… all because of Edward.

"Thank you," I whispered into his ear, pouring every once of gratefulness into my words. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," he whispered back, his breath tickling my ear.

I pulled back, looked into his face for a brief moment, and then did something I never thought I would do. I had no idea where the confidence or the strength had come from, but it was there, so I used it. Without even thinking, I closed my eyes, lowered my head… and pressed my lips to his.

_Wow_. They were pure heaven, so soft and sweet, the most perfect texture in the world. They were surprisingly warm and tender and… still.

Shit! What the hell was I doing? Almost as soon as my lips touched his, they pulled away, the confidence and strength going with them, embarrassment and mortification taking their place. I had just kissed him out of the blue, no warning, no caution, no nothing. I had just sprung on him, kissing him whether he liked it or not. I could not believe I had done it.

I looked back into his eyes, my own wide and apologetic.

"I… I…" I stammered, my blush growing brighter. "I'm so sorry, Edward, I don't know what come over me. I… Oh god…"

But he didn't say anything. He just continued to look at me, an emotion swimming in his eyes, burning bright and fierce. And then he did the last thing I thought he would ever do. He brought his hands up to my neck, cupped my cheek, brought my face to his… and kissed me back.

I froze up.

Now it was my turn to be surprised. He was…kissing me. He was actually kissing me. Edward Cullen wanted to kiss me, his lips connected to mine. This wasn't a dream, it was a very real reality. It didn't take me long to get over my surprise. I closed my eyes, wrapped my arms back around his neck and fell straight into the kiss.

Words could not describe how it felt to be connected to him like I was. I thought the little peck on the lips I had just given him was amazing. But this, this kiss was mind-blowing. Never in my life had I felt so close to a person before. Never had such emotions swirled in my head and such feelings erupted throughout my body. It was the world's greatest high, like being alive to the fullest. My heart thumped, goose-bumps raised upon my skin and the coil in my stomach was close to breaking point.

Never in all my life had something felt this good… or right.

Our lips moved in perfect sync, fitting together like they were made for each other. The kiss was slow and gentle, but sensuality was strong within it. His tongue swept across my bottom lip, silently asking for entrance, and I quickly obliged. As our tongues danced against each other, fighting a battle for dominance where neither of us cared who won, I finally felt like I was home. It was like I belonged there, like it was my destiny to be there. I groaned as our tongues touched, the noise only spurring Edward on more.

As delicately as he could, he lifted me, allowing my leg to swing over his lap until I was straddling him. Our lips did not break once, but the position allowed us to be even closer and intimate. Our chests pressed together as he held me as close to him as humanly possible, encasing me in his protective arms as my hands lifted up to his hair, my fingers entangling themselves in his beautiful bronze locks.

I pulled his head closer to mine, if it were even possible, and deepened the kiss, the whole thing becoming a bit more urgent. As my hand moved from his hair, down his arms and down to his thigh, he moaned again, his excitement obvious against my stomach.

_Wow! Who ever guessed that I could do that to Edward Cullen?_

The moment could not be more wonderful. It was just him and me, totally alone, with only each other in the whole world. I wanted to commit the whole thing to memory incase it never happened again. The kiss that I had wanted for so long was finally happening. He was kissing me, I was kissing him. It could not be anymore perfect…

That was until we heard the door handle turning.

The kiss automatically stopped, the two of us pulling away and looking at each other like two deer caught in the headlights.

"Alice," he whispered to me, obviously hearing her thoughts. I practically jumped off Edward's lap, taking my seat next to him again, just as if nothing had happened. I was beyond thankful when Alice entered, none the wiser to our previous actions. Any other person would have noticed our swollen lips, heavy breathing and slightly messed up hair for what the moment really was. Alice was still a child, she wouldn't even notice.

She entered with a grin on her face.

"There you are, Bella," she said, skipping over to me. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Oh, hi, Alice," I said, trying to get my breath back. My drumming heart was not helping the situation.

"I was wondering if I could have your help. Mom brought me some new curlers for my hair and I need someone to test them out on. Want to be a human guinea pig?"

I smiled. "Of course," I replied, standing from my seat. "Lead the way."

She walked off, my body about to follow her, when a hand grabbed mine, essentially stopping me in my tracks. I looked down into Edward's golden eyes, a thousand questions swimming in them. I completely understood him. If he had a thousand questions to ask, then I had a million.

After what had just happened, I knew a conversation between the two of us would be needed. Something big had happened between us just now. It wasn't just a lustful kiss that we shared. It wasn't just the two of us caught in the moment, giving into temptation and kissing for the sake of it. There was emotion behind the kiss. There was a connection, a feeling, something more.

It had been no ordinary kiss.

"Bella… I…" He went silent... painfully silent. He looked at me for a few seconds more before he just shook his head and spoke. "You should go. Alice will wonder where you are."

I let out a sigh, nodded, and left to leave, my heart sinking at his lack of conversation, my spirit now deflated. Only his lips suddenly caressing my hand brought my spirit up again. He kissed it once, twice, three times and pressed it softly to his forehead before he finally let me go. My feet hurried out of the room and I closed the door, immediately leaning back upon it and closing my eyes.

A single tear slipped down my cheek.

I did not understand. Why so silent? Why so quiet? Why did he let me leave without so much as a word? Did that kiss not mean to him what it meant to me? Without a shadow of a doubt, it had been the most greatest and memorable moment of my entire life. The emotions I felt, the way my body reacted, the way his body reacted. Did it mean anything to him?

The kiss had been one of emotions for me… how was it for him? I felt for him deeply, more deeply than I thought I ever would. The want, the need, the... _love_ I had for Edward was kept deep within my heart and my soul, burning bright and keeping me alive. Did that mean nothing to him?

I did not understand at all.

Alice's voice brought me from my musings and I hurried to her room, wiping the tear from my cheek.

That kiss… that one single kiss. I would never forget it. It meant so much to me, yet I feared it meant nothing to him. I wished I had his mind reading abilities, just so I could know what was going on in that beautiful head of his.

What was the greatest occurrence in my life, may have been the worst in his… and that fact broke my heart…


	16. True love ways

_Hello!_

_A massive thanks to Coleen561, mommymac0508, sujari6, MacNNcheese95, mixmatched9, melanieintn, teamedwardtwilightfan, and WeFallForever for their reviews. Thanks guys!_

_So… next chapter. Last one started good ended bad, well, for Bella anyway. _

_They kissed! Hurrah! Took them long enough! It had been building for a while and finally came to a head, but not the way many of you expected (hehe). So let's see the aftermath, shall we?_

_This chapter is named after "True love ways" by Buddy Holly, who is, without a doubt, the greatest singer/songwriter ever born. Don't even argue with me on this one, because you will lose. He was completely and totally awesome, and no one even comes close to him. No one! (Love you, Buddy!)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight… but I love Buddy Holly… ridiculously so._

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

Life sucks sometimes, doesn't it?

One minute it's all going lovely, all sunny and bright and cheerful, and then the next you hit rock bottom, everything going against you and making you feel like crap.

My life was becoming like something from a soap opera, a life that, if you retold it to someone who was willing to listen, they would laugh at your absurdity and say that you were making the whole thing up. That's how unrealistic soap opera lives were.

But mine was just that. My mom was dead, my dad was dead, a murderous blood-thirsty vampire wanted _me_ dead, I was living in a house full of those same creatures, and then to top it all off I had kissed the man I loved and he had not spoken a word to me since. Not even a murmur.

It was at times like this when you want the ground to just open up and suck you down, never to be seen again. Obviously, someone up there was not looking at me favorably!

I never figured that I'd ever be one of those girls whose life becomes so screwed up that she goes practically insane in the head. I had personal issues, family issues, relationship issues, safety issues…

_Wow, Bella. You sound like a complete basket case._

And even if I didn't sound like one, I certainly felt like one!

2 days. He hadn't spoken to me for 2 whole days! He hadn't even _seen_ me… not that I had seen him either, but that was beside the point. Even though I hadn't seen him, I had certainly seeked him out enough over the days, asking everyone who I saw where he was in order to track him down.

"He's gone hunting," replied Emmett.

"I heard he went to visit the hospital with Carlisle," Jasper recalled.

"He's out shopping," said Esme.

I let out a very annoyed sigh. He was nowhere to be found!

Was I really that repulsive and disgusting that he had to blatantly ignore me after what had occurred between us? I certainly felt that way and it did nothing for my confidence. I never thought Edward would act this way around me, but I guess I was wrong.

The kiss had played on my mind since it had happened, the moment never leaving my thoughts, not even when they decided to focus on something else. The kiss was always there, niggling at me in the back of my mind. I thought about it, I dreamt about it, I spoke out loud about it - only to myself in my room, of course. I probably sound mad - and I could do nothing to rid myself of the thoughts. It's like they were imprinted and imbedded into a brain, like when you hear a song that you can't stop singing in your head. It was driving me insane… all because I could not speak to him about it.

Why wouldn't he talk to me? Why was he ignoring me? Why?

The kiss… oh, the kiss. It had been so wonderful, so amazing, so downright perfect. I wanted to repeat it again and again and again in so many different ways. Him kissing me, me kissing him, kissing in his room, kissing in my room, kissing in his car, kissing in the kitchen, kissing in the woods whilst the rain fell down upon us, soaking us through. The daydreams went on…

But he would not talk to me, heck, he wouldn't even _see_ me. How were the daydreams supposed to become reality if I could not even find him to make it so?

I loved him. Of this I was ardently and totally sure. I wanted him in every way imaginable - his heart, his soul, his body, his mind. And I wanted to give him myself too. I was his. Always had been and always would be. All he had to do was say the word and I'd do anything he wanted, be anything he wanted, say anything he wanted. Edward owned me, body and soul, and nothing on this Earth would change that.

I wanted more than I swift kiss in the music room… I wanted his love. He had mine, couldn't I have his?

I lay upon my bed, staring mindlessly at my ceiling as these thoughts made their way through my head. I looked over at my clock and saw that it was 5 in the morning. The sun had barely risen yet, the sky a reddish purple, beautiful almost. The start of a brand new day. I turned back to the ceiling.

I couldn't sleep. I hadn't been able to sleep for days. Not since the ball. If it wasn't one thing, then it was another that decided to keep me awake. I may as well just become an insomniac and at least give some sort of label to what I was turning into. My mind felt my fatigue, my body felt my fatigue, yet I could not sleep; my thoughts would not let me.

I wondered if he knew how much his ignorance hurt. I knew men were less sensitive to these kinds of things than girls were, but surely he had to consider my feelings in some way. After such a life changing moment like our kiss, did he not know how I would feel? How vulnerable I'd be? How confused I'd be?

And surely he had to be feeling these things to. It takes two to tango; he had kissed me as much as I'd kissed him. But he was the one who was nowhere to be seen and I was the one panicking and fretting, not know what was up or what was down.

That kiss had been everything to me, literally. It had been the confirmation of my love for him, the realization that he was the one who held my heart, the exact moment that I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Edward Cullen. I could not vouch for what was going on in his head, but if he did not want to see me, it certainly could not be the same things that were going on in my own.

I felt the light tears falling down my cheeks and onto my pillow. I was being stupid, I knew I was, but my heart was vulnerable at that moment. He had buried himself so deep in it that a single move like ignoring me threatened to rip it apart.

I couldn't stand it, not anymore. I could not stand the sorrow and the pity I was feeling for myself. I was better and stronger than this. I sat up in my bed and swiftly stood up and got dressed. I needed a distraction, something… anything to take my mind off of him. The sunrise would happen any moment. So I grabbed the book I was currently reading off of my bedside table and made my way downstairs.

I had explored the large garden of the Cullen household only a little, but I had become rather fond of the large willow tree that stood tall there. It stood out among everything else and was the perfect spot to read. It sheltered me and allowed me peace and tranquility. So, slipping on a cardigan to protect me from the slight cold, and with my book in hand, I made my way to the back door and walked along the large garden till I reached my favorite tree.

I froze.

It seemed that I was not the only one who had had the idea of reading that morning.

I had not seen him for 2 days, and despite the fact that I was angry at him, annoyed at him and upset with him, I could not deny Edward's beauty in the early morning light. The sun hadn't fully risen yet, so his skin did not sparkle as it usually did. Yet it still had this quality about it, almost like it was sparkling anyway. He sat on the grass, leaning back upon the tree, totally encapsulated with his book. He did not even know I was there until I stood upon a tiny branch, snapping it, the sound echoing.

His head looked up from his book immediately, his eyes meeting mine.

I didn't know what to do. I'd waited for this opportunity for 2 whole days, and now that I had it, I was at a complete loss.

But that was the thing. I knew exactly what I had to do. I had to confront him, call him out, ask to explain what was going on between us. Where did we stand? What would become of us? Did he… love me? This moment was too good to pass up, and I needed answers.

So I held my head up high and marched over to him, my jaw set and my mind ready. I had been preparing for this for 2 days now. This would be the only chance I'd get to question him before he would no doubt do a runner again. I had to be strong and I had to make use of this opportunity. It was now or never, and I wanted the truth.

"Bella," he said when he saw my approach, quickly standing and placing his hands at his side, his book discarded across the grass.

"Don't 'Bella' me!" I exclaimed in anger, my fists clenched. "Where the hell have you been?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed quizzically.

"You know exactly what I mean," I accused. "We kiss. We kiss, Edward, and then you disappear for 2 days! Want to explain that?" I placed my hands on my hips to show my authority. It was a strong stance and it gave me confidence.

He ran his hands nervously through his hair, his face dropping, seemingly ashamed. "Oh," he murmured. "That."

"Yes, that," I said. "Did you seriously think you could just disappear on me after what happened? Did you not think I'd have questions? Did you not think that I would confused out of my mind?" I could feel the tears building, threatening to spill. "I haven't stopped thinking about it since it happened. It's sending me crazy, Edward."

"I needed to think," Edward tried. "What happened between us… I've never felt anything as intense as that before. I needed to make sense of it."

"By ignoring me?" I shouted, the tears finally falling, slipping down my cheeks and showing my true emotions. "We kissed and then you just left. Do you know what has gone through my mind? It's been driving me insane. I don't know whether you feel for me or completely hate me. It's tearing me apart." My voice finally broke. "That kiss, it meant everything to me, Edward. Everything. The greatest thing that has ever happened to me. Did it just mean nothing to you?"

And then I was encased in his arms. It happened so suddenly that I wasn't aware of his actions until he held me to him and pressed his face into my hair. He held me tightly against his chest as he began to pepper kisses along the top of my head and across my hairline. I felt surprise more than anything. I wasn't expecting this reaction. I was expecting an answer and an excuse, not intimacy like this.

"Oh, Bella," he whispered softly as his hands stroked my back, easing my sobs somewhat, though I had to wonder if it was the surprise and shock doing that. "How can you possibly think that? How could you possibly think that our kiss meant nothing to me, that _you_ mean nothing to me?" He pulled me back a little so that he could look into my tear stained face.

"But you kissed me and then just… ignored me," I argued quietly. "I haven't seen you for 2 whole days."

"I can only apologize for that, Love. You mean _everything _to me, Bella," he continued. "Absolutely everything. Without you I am nothing, no one at all. You make me what I am. The smiles on my face, the laughs that leave my lips, the pure and utter joy that I feel, it's all because of you. When I'm alone, I want to be with you. When I'm empty, I just want to hold you because you make me complete. When I see you standing there, happy and gleeful, I feel the same. I want to be with you all the time, I want to protect you and keep you safe. It has been like torture, standing there with you every day and not being able to kiss you or hold you. It's all I've wanted to do since I met you. I just want you, Bella. You."

My tears fell faster the more he spoke, but these tears were different. Tears of joy replaced those of sorrow and sadness. His words… they weren't words of rejection or hate at all, they were words and adoration and admiration and, dare I say it, love.

_Please tell me he feels the same. Oh god, please…_

He pulled me too him again as I hid my face in his shoulder, letting everything process in my head. I placed my hands upon his chest, my shaking fingers fisting and grabbing at his shirt. My heart was fluttering, both nervously and excitedly. The very idea that he may have some sort of feelings for me made me giddy with pleasure. If he could feel just a single drop of what I felt for him, then I would die a happy woman. To know the man I loved felt the same would complete me.

But the idea of him rejecting me kept niggling in the back of my head. What if he didn't love me and this was merely pacifying me in order to stop my sadness? But that couldn't be the truth, could it? After the words he had just said to me, surely he had to feel more for me than I originally thought.

He rested his cheek against mine, whispering softly in my ear, his words setting my whole body alight.

"Bella… I love you… so much," he said. "That kiss… it was my way of telling you that. I. Love. You. I always have and I always will. That kiss meant the entire world to me because it let me know that you loved me back."

"Edward," I whispered, my voice muffled my his chest as I attempted to pull him closer, his voice sending ripples of pleasure everywhere. "B-but why did y-you ignore me?"

"I didn't… not intentionally. I mean, you had just kissed me. My love was returned and it was the greatest thing in the world. My mind needed to get around the idea of that realization and I had to think of a plan to approach you about it. You had pretty much told me how you felt, but I needed to hear it from your lips. I needed to figure out what to do. I never meant to ignore you. I would never do that to you. I love you, Bella, and I will never make you cry again."

Ironically, his words only made me cry more, my mind completely reeling from what I had just heard.

He loved me… He freakin' loved me! Not like me, but love me. He had said that little four lettered word and it would remain imprinted into my mind forever.

_He loved me._

Gently cradling my face in his hands, he gently pulled my head back and smiled at me, a smile that I could not help but return back.

How had I not seen his affections sooner? How? I felt like a complete fool now. How could I have thought for a single minute that our kiss had meant nothing to him? I felt sick with myself for even considering the idea. Edward was not that kind of person. He was kind, loving, giving and sweet. Not for a single second should I have thought that he would treat me so horribly.

"I can't believe this," I whispered aloud, though it was more to myself than anyone. "This isn't real."

He lowered his lips to my face and kissed my forehead, his lips lingering against my skin. "I love you," he told me. He kissed my temple. "I love you," he repeated. He kissed the tip of my nose. "I love you." I could not help but giggle as he spoke, my previous upset and anger vanishing, and joy and glee replacing them.

_He loved me!_

I could not stop the joyful tears falling from my eyes, but Edward soon helped me with that. Each time a tear fell down my face, Edward's lips were there to stop it. He caught every tear I cried, caressing my face each time, making me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

"My precious Bella," he said before he finally lowered his lips to mine, capturing both them and my heart in one smooth movement.

This kiss was better than the first… so much better. Unlike the first one, I knew the feelings and the motives behind this kiss. I knew his heart belonged to me, I knew he wanted to kiss no other like this, just me. This kiss told me that he loved me… and that I ardently loved him back.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, threading my fingers through the hair that I had come to love so much. He wrapped his arms around my waist and back, making escape impossible. But why would I want to escape? This man, this amazing and perfect man who held me so delicately and devotedly… He wanted me, he adored me, he loved me completely.

No, I didn't want to escape, and I never would.

Slipping my tongue past his lips, I showed him how much I loved him, letting him know with every move and motion that his feelings were completely returned. He loved me. I loved him. Nothing else mattered.

We eventually pulled away to give me a chance to breathe, but he didn't let me go. He did not want to, and I did not want him to. I could not leave his arms. I would not leave his arms. He had told me he loved me, I would never leave his arms again. He pressed his forehead to mine.

"So," he began. "To answer your question, no, the kiss didn't mean nothing to me. It meant literally everything to me."

I laughed, caressing his face with my fingers. "Glad to hear it. You had me worried there for a minute."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I don't know if I can handle the guy I love ignoring me for the rest of my life."

He chuckled and pressed a light kiss to my lips. "That would never happen. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if you weren't in my life, Love."

I smiled, secretly rather pleased with my new nickname. "Good, because I plan to stay around for a while."

He pulled back, flashing me a croaked grin. "That's all I want," he said, placing a piece of my hair behind my ear. He stroked my cheeks tenderly, taking the moment to let his eyes roam freely across my face.

_Hey, I did it in the hotel room. Guess it's his turn now._

He looked everywhere. My eyes, my nose, my mouth, committing each and every part of me to memory. I liked him looking at me, it made me feel almost beautiful. The love and devotion in his eyes only confirmed that. I had never seen those emotions so strongly in his golden orbs before. I flushed deeply.

"Like what you see?" I joked after a few moments of silence.

"Totally and utterly love it," he replied.

I giggled as he gently placed his lips upon mine, sweeping me up in his delectable kiss again. As our lips moved perfectly in sync, fitting together like a hand and a glove, I knew that this was where I wanted to be. Edward was everything to me. My friend, my home, my life. Without him I would be lost and lonely, but with him I felt invincible, like I was on top of the world.

After everything that had happened to me, I had somehow managed to find this little piece of heaven.

We pulled apart and Edward took my hand in his, linking our fingers.

"Love you," he said in earnest.

"Love you too," I replied, the words sounding perfect on my lips, his sudden grin cementing my feelings for him forever.


	17. She will be loved

_Hello there!_

_A huge thanks to mommymac0508, Coleen561, teamedwardtwilightfan, sujari6, melanieintn, Cina's, mixmatched9, Ephany, WeFallForever, sammy, leeloo4you and Proud2BeATwilighter for their reviews. Love you guys!_

_Seems you all liked the last chapter. It was one of my favorites and I loved writing it. So, for this chapter we are going to go back into Edward's head. Haven't heard from him for a while, so lets see what he has to see about the situation, shall we?_

_By the way, did you all have a good Halloween? I had a great one! Went out clubbing with my friends, and I have to say, I was quite proud of my cat costume. Twas awesome._

_This chapter is named after "She will be loved" by Maroon 5. Definitely one of my faves._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I just take the characters and stick them into my own crazy imaginings!_

* * *

Edward Cullen's Point of View

The walk from the garden to the house that morning was probably the best walk I had ever experienced in over a hundred years of existing.

It wasn't just the time of day that made it special, or the glorious sunrise that cast a reddish purple glow everywhere, it was the fact that _her _hand was nestled safely in mine, our fingers linked together where they would remain for eternity. The walk was silent, and we progressed toward the house slowly, taking our time, but the fact that _she_ was there, my skin touching hers, made it all that more better.

Who knew love could ever feel like this? Like you're walking on air, like nothing can go wrong, like you are the luckiest person in the world. Fuck, if this was how good love felt, I wished I'd tried it sooner!

But no, that wouldn't have worked, not in a million years. Only with my Bella can I feel and create love; no other person would have done. I'd known girls since I was born and I'd interacted with them all my life, my human one and my immortal one. I wasn't big headed, but I knew that I was handsome enough to be a big hit with the ladies, and this was fully confirmed after I was changed. They literally threw theirselves at me, begging for my number, begging for a kiss, begging for sex. Some of those girls had been nice, some had been awful, some had been sweet, some had been horrible and complete bitches, some had been sexy as hell. And I had to admit, I had succumbed to a few of their charms…

But none of them compared to _her_.

Only my Bella had my love, only my Bella owned my heart.

And I knew then that the reason I had never been in love before was because I had been waiting for Bella to appear in my life. None of those girls had been 'the one', they didn't even come fucking close. But Bella… From the moment I first laid eyes on her, sleeping soundly in the back living room, her scent almost knocking me off my feet, I knew she would be the person I'd spend forever with.

Though she would never admit it herself, Bella was completely perfect in my eyes. Compared to all those other women, she was an angel, a princess, a goddess. The way she blushed at every complement she was given, the way her big doe-eyes widened when shocked or scared, the way her hair hung around her shoulders, both adorable and sensual at the same time, her exquisite smile. God, her smile. Perfect really wasn't a strong enough word to describe it.

She was stunning, she was beautiful, she was amazing, she was… all mine.

I had no idea how I'd done it, and I feared I never would, but somehow I had made this girl love me and give her heart to me in every imaginable way. I had known I wanted her from the very beginning, decades before I even met her, but she could have had her pick of absolutely anyone in this world. She was too beautiful to have never had admirers in her life, and I'd seen the way Jacob had been looking at her these last few weeks - if his looks weren't a giveaway, then his thoughts certainly showed his true feelings - and I knew that they had a strong bond.

But she had chosen _me_. The lonely and masochistic vampire who pined for her blood. She loved me, and I would never be able to say 'thank you' enough to whatever had introduced her to my life.

"You okay, Edward?" came Bella's heavenly voice, shaking me from my musings. "You disappeared there for a minute. We're almost at the house."

"Sorry, Love," I said with an apologetic smile. "I was just thinking as all."

"Anything interesting?" she inquired.

I stopped walking and suddenly brought her to me, kissing the back of her hands before kissing her palms. "Just how lucky I am."

She giggled and blushed then, the glorious red covering her cheeks. She could bring me to my fucking knees with that blush. The venom pooled in my mouth, not just because of the blood, but also because of how gorgeous she looked. I quickly swallowed it down.

"Yes, you are lucky," she said proudly. "I am amazing, after all."

"Is that so?" I questioned, cocking my eyebrow and offering her a crooked smirk.

"Sure is," she said before giving me a quick peck on the cheek and running for the house, leaving me behind.

_Oh, so it's a chase she wants, is it?_

Without a second thought, my legs began to move, hunting her down quickly, my vampiric speed making the job easy. She had no chance. I reached her easily, wrapping my arms around her waist and spinning her in circles. Her laughs were like music to my ears, bringing a joyous smile to my face.

I didn't know what is was, but when I was with Bella, I could forget what I was. I didn't feel like a blood thirsty vampire, ready to kill for his next meal. I felt like a normal man, madly in love with a woman. That's what she did to me, that's how she made me feel. My Bella...

Finally setting her on her feet, I brought her into my arms and kissed her sweetly, holding her up when her legs seemed to give way.

I gently pulled back and looked down at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I just need to get used to these kisses," she said breathlessly with a content grin on her face. I gave her my crooked smile again.

"Well, you should get used to them, because you'll be getting them for the rest of your life. Kissing you has become my most favorite of activities, and I don't plan on giving them up soon."

"Good," she replied breathlessly. "I don't want you to."

I smirked before giving her another swift kiss and leading her back to the house. The living room was empty when we finally got there, the only two minds I could pick up on being Alice's whilst she slept and Jasper's in his room. I assumed the others were out hunting or… doing other activities which I just plainly did not want to know about.

After spending a hundred years of reading the minds of lovers, you begin to tire of it… I mean _really_ tire of it. All the lovey dovey shit that ran through my family's minds did my head in. Even Emmett could be a bit of a romantic at times. Emmett! He was the toughest, strongest guy I knew! Yet, get him round Rosalie and he turned into a complete and utter girl.

Still, I understood all those thoughts now. I began to understand why my father and my brother thought about their mates in such a way. They loved them, so those thoughts came naturally. And now I was beginning to think in the very same way. _I_ was the lovey dovey one_, I _was the one who was turning into a complete and utter girl, _I_ was the one who was melting at the sight of a woman.

But my Bella was one hell of a woman.

"So," Bella began once she slipped her shoes off. "What do you want to do?"

I raised my eyebrow. _Well, I can think of a few things. Me, you, a bed…_

I shook my head.

Damn, I needed to get my mind out of the gutter. Bella wasn't some quick squeeze who I'd be rid of once I was done fucking her. Bella was so much more than that. She deserved to be wooed and courted. I knew it sounded old fashioned, but it was true. She should be wined and dinned, honored and worshiped in every single way possible. She was too precious to me to be treated any other way.

"We could just chill for a while in front of the TV if you want," I suggested. "Its 7am, so Alice won't be up for at least… oh, 8 hours."

She giggled before nodding and agreeing. Taking my hand in hers, she led me to the living room where I sat down on the sofa. Bella took her place next to me, curling up to my body and placing her head upon my shoulder. My arm naturally wrapped itself around her as I pulled my singer to me. With my other arm, I lifted the remote and switched on the TV, flicking through the channels for something to stick on. In unison, we both let out contented sighs.

Who ever thought something as simple as watching the TV could feel so wonderful? It just felt so normal to have her here in my arms, doing something as mundane as watching the television. She made it exciting and worthwhile simply by being there. I would sit here all day if she wanted to. I didn't even care if we watched TV; we could just sit in silence and stare at the walls if it meant holding her like this.

All those daydreams of having her in my arms, holding her, hugging her, kissing her, they were all coming true. I never knew love could feel as amazing as this did. It was like a drug.

"Anything you wanna watch?" I asked her.

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around my waist. "I don't mind what we watch. I'm too comfy to care."

I chuckled at her words before finally landing on a quiz show. We watched in silence for a while as my fingers ran mindlessly through her long brown hair, stroking and twirling the strands. She snuggled deeper into my body at my touch and I could not keep the satisfied grin from my lips.

Life was fucking amazing…

I wasn't really watching the TV, but I knew when the show had gone off because I suddenly felt Bella's lips on my neck, peppering light kisses all the way up to my jaw and finally landing on my lips. I softly moaned at this sudden change of activity and wrapped both my arms around her as my tongue explored her warm mouth.

Jeez, I would never tire of kissing Isabella Swan. Each kiss was different, but all equally mind-blowing. I don't know how she did it, but she could bring me to my knees with just one simple kiss. If I wasn't a vampire, I swear she would be the death of me. She had a pleased smile on her lips when she finally pulled away.

"I wish you'd suggested that sooner rather than making me sit through half an hour of boring quiz shows, Love," I joked. "I much prefer this."

"Me too," she said, lowering her face in embarrassment. I knew she was blushing because the scent of her blood got considerably stronger.

Aiming to cure her awkwardness, I put my finger under her chin and lifted her face to look at me. "Are you blushing over my kisses, Miss Swan?" I enquired.

She nodded, biting her bottom lip.

I brought my thumb to her lips, running it slowly over the bottom one, pulling it from her bite. "Never be embarrassed over my kisses," I told her, caressing her cheeks softly. "They are all yours, Bella, so there is no need for embarrassment… Though, I do adore your blushes."

She flushed even brighter and then, doing the only thing she felt she could do in that moment, she lowered her lips down to mine again. I was quite surprised by Bella's boldness as she slid her tongue along my bottom lip, eagerly asking entrance. I quickly obliged. Our tongues danced as I lifted her into my lap, moving her leg over me until she straddled me.

She moaned as I let my hand casually move up and down her thigh, the noise urging me on more, my jeans beginning to strain. She threaded her hands through my hair, pulling at the strands as she kissed me deeper, my body enjoying the roughness as she tugged. Allowing her room to finally breathe, my lips traveled along her neck, my lips focusing on the pulsing vein beneath her delectable skin. I knew it was torture, focusing on the point where her blood flow was at its strongest, but I could not resist.

I was masochistic, but I didn't give a fuck. This woman was too stunning not to worship like I was.

She braced her hands on my shoulders as I raised my hand from her thigh, up her stomach and gently caressing along the bottom of her breast.

"Edward," she barely whispered before taking my face in her hands and bringing her lips to me again. The kiss was soft and gentle as our tongues fought and our lips caressed each other. Bella finally pulled away to rest her forehead upon mine.

"Oh, Bella," I said as I pressed our chests together. I needed her closer, so much closer.

"We should stop," she finally said as her chest heaved in pants. "We need to stop."

"I don't want to," I argued as I moved my head and nibbled on her earlobe.

She moaned before managing to speak. "We have to, Edward. What if someone sees?"

As reluctant as my answer was, I agreed with her. We were sitting in the living room, making out, after all. The last thing we wanted was for Carlisle or Alice or, even worse, Emmett walking in on us. It's not what people would want to see… and Emmett would tease us mercilessly about it for weeks. It was best that we stopped down before getting too carried away.

"You're right," I said, moving my forehead back to hers. "The last thing we need is Emmett's corny jokes about us."

She giggled before kissing the tip of my nose. "I agree. Still, I quite enjoyed what we did."

"Me too," I grinned like a fool. "Believe me."

It was at that moment that we heard footsteps descending the stairs and Jasper came into view before us, whistling nonchalantly. He stood stock still when he spotted Bella and I, his eyebrow raised quizzically, his whistling becoming silent. I could not blame him really. I was seated here with a slightly flustered Bella sitting intimately on my lap, my arms holding her tightly.

I just thanked fuck that it had been Jasper who had found us and not Emmett!

He was silent for a few more seconds, him staring at us and us staring at him, before he decided to speak up.

"Okay, I'm just going to come out with this," he said. "Are you two together or something? Because if not, Edward is holding you a little inappropriately, Bella. Pervert."

I chuckled while Bella just flushed an even deeper red. I discreetly linked our fingers together and squeezed to reassure her.

"Nice choice of words, Jazz," I laughed. "But in answer to your question, yes. Bella and I are together. What else does this look like?"

His eyes widened a little at first before a pleased look graced his face. "Well, congratulations, dude," he said. "I was wondering when this would all come about."

"What do you mean?" asked Bella in a confused voice. She slid off my lap and sat herself next to me on the sofa, our hands still linked.

"You two having been driving me crazy for weeks with your emotions. The love, the adoration, the sexual tension. Having my ability sucks sometimes and I've been feeling it all."

"Oh god," Bella cried, placing her face in her hands. "You have to be kidding me." She lifted her head to look at Jasper again. "You've felt it all?"

"Sure have. I'm surprised it's taken this long for you two to get together." He let out a breath. "So, is it serious then? You two I mean."

Bella beat me to the punch line first. "Of course it is," she answered somewhat recovering from her awkwardness. "I love him and I plan to keep it that way."

I was practically beaming as she spoke. It was one thing me telling her how I felt, but to hear it from her made me feel invincible. To hear how she felt, how she loved me, how she wanted me above all others made me feel special. God, how I adored her.

"Glad to hear it," Jasper smiled. _Congratulations, dude,_ I heard his mind say. "Does anyone else know or am I the lucky one who's found out first?"

"Nobody else knows," I told him. "So don't go blabbing around. Bella and I plan to tell people ourselves in our own time."

"So I can't tell Emmett?" Jasper smirked. The deathly glare that Bella and I gave him pretty much answered his question. He slid his hands into his pockets shamefully. "I guess not. Anyway, I hate to leave you two lovebirds, but I better go wake Alice up. I'm taking her out for the day."

"Anywhere special?" I enquired, slightly thankful that he was finally leaving.

"Not really," Jasper replied. "Just to the mall and maybe the cinema. See you guys later. _Have fun_."

The double meaning of his words did not go unnoticed, not by me anyway, and he walked up the stairs, out of sight. I heard Bella groan next to me.

"Jeez, if Jasper acts this way, Emmett is going to be hell."

"I know, Love," I said bringing her into my arms again, rubbing her back soothingly. "But it won't last for long. Perhaps… the rest of our lives."

She groaned again, burying her face in my shoulder as I could not resist chuckling. She suddenly slapped my arm.

"This isn't funny, Edward Cullen," she said, looking back up into my face. She tried her best to give me an angry glare, but it just wasn't working. Instead of feeling intimidated by her, I was amused by her, her cute face making me smile rather than frown. The chuckles turned into laughs. "Stop laughing!" she cried.

"I can't," I laughed as she continued to slap me. But the slaps died and eventually she began to laugh too, seeing the funny side of situation. I lay down on the sofa to get comfortable, pulling her with me until she lay on top of me. Our laughter finally died as I put a piece of hanging hair behind her ear, her face becoming timid again.

"Is everyone going to tease us?" she whispered.

I let out a thoughtful sigh. "Not everyone. Carlisle and Esme will be happy, as will Alice and Rose. I think it's only Emmett we'll have to contend with." I caressed her face with my fingers. "But you know what? Let him tease. I don't care anymore, because the reason he is teasing us will be because we're together. And I will happily be reminded of that everyday."

A smile finally graced her lips, immediately illuminating her features. Fuck, I had never seen anyone look as beautiful as she did right then.

"I suppose when you put it that way, it doesn't seem so bad," she said softly. "It doesn't seem bad at all."

I brushed her nose with my own. "Personally, I think I can handle the teasing if it means I get my Bella."

She giggled before lowering her lips to my own, kissing me gently and slowly. We weren't in any rush; we had the rest of our lives after all.

"I love you," Bella whispered when we pulled away.

I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist, never letting her go. "I love you too."


	18. Hot n cold

_Hi there!_

_A huge thanks to sujari6, Coleen561, melanieintn, mixmatched9, mommymac0508, Megan1150, MacNNcheese95, WeFallForever and teamedwardtwilightfan for their reviews. Thank you!_

_Right, a bit of warning regarding the next few updates here. I'm going to be flooded with essays and work for university within the next few weeks in the lead up to Christmas. So, while I will try my hardest to make regular updates, they may not be as quick as usual. I will do my very best to get chapters out as quickly as possible, but obviously Uni work is my priority. Just thought I'd give you fair warning. But I will do my best._

_This chapter is named after "Hot N Cold" by Katy Perry._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, but I think you all know this by now!_

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

I was sad to part from Edward when he announced that afternoon that he had to leave in order to hunt, and I began to feel somewhat empty. It had only been that morning that our feelings had been confessed, and now he was disappearing again, leaving me all alone. I knew he had to leave, he needed to feed after all, but the selfish part of me did not want him to go. I clutched his hand as he turned to open the front door, ready to head out into the forest beyond. He stopped and looked down at me, an amused look on his face. I'm glad he found it so funny!

"Do you have to go?" I questioned.

"I'm afraid so, Love," he said softly. "But I will only be a few hours."

"That's too long," I sulked.

"I know that, believe me," he said. "But I have to feed."

"Well… can't I come with you?" I asked hopefully.

"No," Edward stated strongly, his face stern. "Never, not while I'm hunting."

I nodded, expecting the answer. In all honesty, it was a stupid question to ask, really. Of course I could go with him, not whilst he was in the bloodlust. Anything could happen to me otherwise.

"But you promise you won't be long?" I asked him, biting my lip.

He smirked, pulling my lips from my teeth and placing a soft and sweet kiss upon my lips. "I'll be two hours maximum. Then I promise I will come straight back and we can do whatever you like. But I need to get rid of these black eyes before we can do any of that."

"I suppose," I said. It was true. Edward's eyes had become considerably black over the day, the constant presence of my blood making him hungry, and I knew he needed to hunt. It was dangerous for a vampire to be so hungry, especially around any human, regardless of that vampire's diet. If a vampire is hungry, they will eat, despite where the blood source is coming from... even if it was me.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he told me. He kissed my forehead before going back to the front door again.

"Okay," I smiled. "Love you."

He smiled. "Love you, too." And with that, he opened the door and left, heading towards to woods. I let out a sigh.

_Is it wrong to miss him already?_

Of course not. Not when I loved him as strongly as I did.

So, it seemed I had the afternoon to myself to do whatever I liked with. Yet, with all the housework done and Alice out with Jasper for the day, I found I actually had very little to do. I felt restless and a little lonely, so I knew I had to occupy myself in someway. I could watch the TV, but I knew there was very little on. I could clean my room, but there wasn't really anything to clean. I always kept my room tidy. I could do the laundry, but I had done it all. I had washed every last item.

I hadn't realized how much I depended on Edward until he was gone, and we had only been together since this morning!

And then it struck me. Jacob! I had not seen my friend in so long and I missed his company greatly. What, with my work, his work, and my personal problems, we had not really seen much of each other lately. Everything had been against us, and I knew we needed a good catch up. So I would go see him. I knew he was working today as Rosalie's BMW had broken down last night and he had been called in to fix it. Grabbing my shoes, I therefore hurried out the door and ran around to the garage.

The garage door was wide open when I got there, a small radio in the corner playing some music, making the atmosphere generally welcoming and warm. I could not see Jacob; I could only here the sounds of his tools. That was until I saw his legs sticking out the bottom of the car. I had to suppress the giggle that threatened to come out. I crouched down, gently tapping his leg to get his attention. He almost jumped out of his skin at my sudden touch.

"Who's there?" he asked as he wheeled himself from under the car and out into the open again. He smiled when he saw it was me who had frightened him, but I was surprised to find that his smile did not quite reach the tops of his cheeks like usual. "Oh, hi, Bells." He stood up, attempting to brush any dirt and oil from his clothing.

"Hi, Jake," I grinned. Well, if he wasn't in a good mood, I certainly was. Perhaps my company would cheer him up. "Long time, no see."

"Yeah, I know," he said, walking over to where all his tools were kept. He began searching through them. "How's things?"

I could not help but beam with pride and happiness. "Things are going… amazing." I let out a content sigh. Things really were amazing, especially now. "How are you?"

"As well as can be expected," he answered, walking straight past me and diving under the car again.

I frowned.

What the hell was wrong with Jake? This wasn't normal for him. He was usually cheery and bubbly, a smile on his face and joy in his heart. Jacob was never this down. Usually, it was me who was the depressive one, the one who was ridiculously sad and crying like a baby and Jake was the one picking me up again, telling me that it would all be okay and that he was there for me. It was never the other way around. Never. Something major must have happened for this sudden shift in his personality. I began to feel a little worried. I sat on the floor again, next to where his legs stuck out, my hands fidgeting nervously in my lap. I just hoped that I could help him like he always helped me. It was the least I could do.

"So, do you want to talk about whatever is wrong with you?" I asked, diving right in at the deep end. It was the easiest way to go about this, Jacob never was one for avoiding the subject. He was usually very forthright.

"There's nothing wrong," echoed his voice from under the car.

_Bullshit!_

"Then why the long face?" I pondered. "I've never seen you like this before."

There was a heavy silence following my question, my lips eager to speak and continue on. But I fought the need, knowing that Jacob should be the first to talk. He was the one who had the problem, not me, so he should be the one to confess. It wasn't that I was being pushy… even though I was, a little; it was that I wanted to help my friend. He had done so much for me in the past, and I knew I had to make it all up to him.

I have a lot of making up to do after all the shit I told him these last few weeks. _He probably won't answer because he thinks you're a psycho!_

But I wanted to help him. I wanted to ease him. I wanted to tell Jacob that it was all alright and that everything would go back to normal after his problem was sorted out. But if he didn't tell me that problem, it was never going to happen, was it?

I let out an annoyed breath, my fingers tapping against my knee in agitation. No, I wasn't getting the silent treatment; I never gave him the silent treatment. I usually just ran to him, crying and sobbing like a baby and blurting everything out to him, whether he wanted to hear it or not!

_I'm homesick… Edward won't talk to me… I'm living with freakin' vampires…_

Refusing to take the silence any more, I leaned forward and tapped hard on his knees, grabbing his attention.

"Jacob," I warned, giving him a tone that showed I would get the answer out of him whether he liked it or not.

I heard him give a gentle sigh before he slowly wheeled himself from under the car, coming back into view again. He didn't look at me, his brown eyes obviously somewhere else. He was thinking, debating no doubt over whether to just confess to me or keep me hanging a little longer.

"Look, Bells," he finally said. "There's nothing wrong. Dad's a little ill and I'm just naturally worried. That's all. No biggy."

"Your dad? God, I'm sorry," I told him, feeling rather guilty for my previous anger. "I know what it's like having an ill father." I tried to repress the sad memories of Charlie… and the tears.

"Thanks," he replied. "But like I said, nothing major. There's nothing you can do."

"That's not true," I said to him. "When my father died, there really was nothing to be done, but the company of the people around me really helped me recover. Edward said-"

Jacob scoffed in disgust at Edward's name, surprising me a little. "Ha! Edward. Of course. Edward, the saving grace. Always there when you need him, huh?"

"Jacob!" I exclaimed.

How dare he talk of Edward with such a condescending and poisonous tone! At first I felt sorry for him, his dad was ill, after all, but now he was just being plain rude. What the hell had Edward ever done to him that would make him react in such a way and speak about him as if he were something on the floor? I gritted my teeth and balled my hands into tight fists.

"What?" he shrugged. "He thinks he's all high and mighty. He acts like he owns the place. Dirty bloodsucker."

I blinked in utter shock. My sympathy flew right out the window in that moment. Now I was pissed off.

"How dare you speak about him that way!" I shouted. "He's been nothing but good, to me _and_ you."

"You're only saying it because you love him. Yeah, I know about you two, and I'd offer my congratulations, but I don't really like the guy. Surely you could do better than him, Bells."

I shook my head, my breathing fast and labored due to my anger, my blood ready to boil. I didn't need his company, not anymore. I wasn't sticking around to hear anymore of this garbage. "I'm leaving," I stated before standing up, turning on my heel, and heading for the open garage door. A hand grabbing my arm stopped me. I turned to look at him, my eyes hard and my lips pressed together in rage. "What?"

"Look, I'm sorry," Jacob said, his eyes not angry like previously. Now they were full of regret and sadness. "I didn't mean what I said. I'm just dealing with a lot right now."

I yanked my arm away from his roughly. He didn't even attempt to stop me, he just let go, knowing how pissed I was. "I don't care how sorry you are, Jacob, but you shouldn't take it out on me, or Edward. I certainly don't need people in my life right now who speak about my friends that way."

And with that I left, leaving him to bask in his own sorrow and melancholy. I could not believe such words had left his mouth. I never thought in a million years that he would speak of Edward in that way. And especially in front of me, knowing how Edward and I feel about each other. I felt disgusted with Jacob, and a little with myself for letting him treat me that way. He spoke to me as if I were an idiot, questioning my love for my vampire, telling me I could do better.

Better? In my opinion, men came no better than Edward, Jacob only proving this fact with his childish outburst.

_Total and utter bastard!_

I never thought one of my best friends would ever speak to me like that. Never.

I ran into the house, the tears that streamed down my cheeks telling me how I really felt - hurt. How could he possibly talk to me like that? Like I was a nobody? A stranger? An enemy? I was his friend and I had been nothing but good to him since the day I met him. And then he had the nerve to turn around and speak to me in such a way to make me cry! How could he, he was my friend… he was my friend.

I ran into my room and collapsed upon my bed, sobbing and crying. The tears would not stop, and the more I recollected what had just happened, the harder and faster they fell. How could he?

I wasn't sure what would become of our friendship now, not now I knew his true feelings toward Edward. Edward were together now. One soul, one person, one being. So anyone who hated him, hated me. And I hated anyone who was against us. Surely that was the way it worked, right? But I could not hate Jacob. Yes, I despised him, was beyond angry at him, and did not want to see him for a while, but I didn't think I hated him. Hate was a strong word to use against someone and I wasn't sure how deep my hatred went.

Jacob had been my best friend during my time in Forks, a constant companion who I could always rely on to keep me company when I needed it. It didn't want the hatred. Jacob and I were far too close for hatred to come into this. I didn't want to ignore him. Like I said, he's my best friend. I wanted to recover our friendship. I wanted us to talk it out and discuss what we said. Our friendship was too strong to end after one simple argument. But after the words he had said in that argument, I wasn't sure how much longer that friendship would last.

My musings were broken when I suddenly heard a noise. My bedroom door creaked open, footsteps sounded, and a pair of arms wrapped themselves around me, pulling me towards a cold body.

"Love, what's wrong?" asked a concerned Edward as he lifted me into his lap, holding me and rocking me softly. I was glad to see that he had returned from his hunt early.

"J-J-Jacob," I blurted. "Jacob and I h-had a f-f-fight."

"What about?" he asked, rubbing my back soothingly.

I couldn't tell him, could I? He would _kill_ Jacob, not just for making me cry, but for what he said, too. I didn't even know if I was strong enough to repeat the words Jake had aid to me, regardless of how Edward would act. I was scared about how he would react. I knew how protective Edward was of me, so revenge was definitely in the ball park of scenarios that filtered through my head. I refused to let any harm come to Jacob, so I avoided the question, hoping that Edward would just let be.

"It's nothing, I don't wanna t-talk about it," I sobbed, hiding my face in his chest, his musky and familiar scent calming me immediately.

"Well surely it can't be nothing if you're crying," Edward reasoned.

_Damn him and his curiosity!_

"Really, it's nothing," I said, lifting my head and wiping away my tears, which had finally stopped. "I'm just being a silly, over-the-top girl."

"Really?"

"Yes, I swear."

"Okay," Edward said dubiously. "If you're sure."

"I am," I said, a smile finally gracing my lips. I decided to change the subject and get Jake out of my head. "Now if I'm correct in remembering, Edward, you promised that when you returned, we could do anything I wanted. And since your eyes are considerably golden, I assume that time is now."

Edward's crooked grin appeared and I knew Jacob was forgotten.

"And what is it that you would like to do?" he questioned.

"I just want to sit back, relax and watch a film in the company of my boyfriend."

He raised his eyebrow. "Your boyfriend, eh?"

"Well that's what you are, isn't it?"

He leaned forward and placed a sweet and loving kiss upon my lips. "Damn right."

And so we settled down for evening. I popped a DVD into the player and we both curled up on my bed to watch. I felt rather comfy at Edward's side, my head in the crook of his shoulder, his arms wrapped round me. It was amazing how I could feel so at one with him after so short a time together. I mean it had been less than a day. But I felt at home with him, like we had been together for years. It made me wonder how I had lived without him before this. It wasn't that I was needy, I was just… reliant on him. Sort of like a drug. Yeah, Edward was my drug. I was so reliant upon him being there that I feared for myself if he wasn't.

He chuckled at the film, his chest rising and falling, breaking me from my thoughts. I looked at my clock.

"Jeez, I better go make Alice's dinner. She'll be starved."

"No need," said Edward, whose eyes had not moved from the television. "Jasper said he would take her for something to eat at the mall."

"Oh, good," I replied, laying my head back upon his body again, getting comfy. "I wouldn't want Esme thinking that I wasn't doing my job."

Not that I could call it a job anymore. Ever since finding out the Cullen secret and knowing my real reason for being here, I hadn't worked as hard as normal. It wasn't that I was lazy, far from it. It was merely a case of the Cullens putting less work on me. I was still Alice's nanny, but not to the degree I was before.

"Esme isn't here anyway. Neither is Carlisle. They won't be home for a few days," Edward explained.

I looked up at him in puzzlement. "Well where have they gone?"

"Italy," he said. "Surely they told you."

They probably had, but I had been moping around so much after Edward ignored me these past few days, that I had failed to really notice anything.

"Have they gone on holiday?" I asked.

"Of sorts," he replied. "Carlisle has gone on his annual visit to the Volturi."

_Okay, now I'm lost._

I sat up and looked at him, Edward looking back. "Who are the Volturi?"

Letting out a breath, Edward lifted the remote and turned off the film. He sat up next to me and held my hands. I had a feeling that this was going to be a long and intense discussion.

"The Volturi," he began, "are the guys who are in charge, the vampire royal family, I suppose. They police us, they enforce our laws, give us our punishments, that kind of thing."

"Like the vampire president?"

Edward laughed. "Yeah, you could put it that way. They are an ancient coven, having lived over many millennia, living a very old fashioned way of life. They love the arts, science, literature, enforcing ancient laws upon the vampire world."

"Old fashioned? Like what?" I asked.

"Like a royal family leading rather than politicians, they create arranged marriages amongst the vampire community, they give out the death sentence to those who break the rules. That kind of stuff."

"They sound sort of… mean," I observed.

"They are, but only if the occasion calls for it. Behave and you won't have to feel their wrath. That's the general consensus. It's just like in the human world. Behave and won't have the police on your back."

"I guess it makes sense when you put it that way," I said. "But where do Carlisle and Esme fit into this?"

"Hundreds of years ago, when Carlisle was a fairly new-born vampire, he lived with the Volturi. He spent several decades in their company, learning from them and befriending them. Then he met Esme and left the coven behind. Carlisle just likes to visit his old friend, Aro, from time to time."

"Aro?"

"Aro is the leader of the Volturi. If the Volturi is the royal family, then Aro is its king. I've met him once before and he is a very polite and charming man, but get on the wrong side of him and you're done for."

I swallowed. Hard. This Aro, this Volturi, they didn't sound very nice to me, they sounded kind of... evil. Granted, it was their job to enforce the vampiric laws, but it still didn't make them sound any better. I shivered at the very thought of them.

"But I wouldn't worry about them too much, Love," Edward smiled, obviously sensing how uncomfortable I had become. "They think very highly of our family due to their friendship with Carlisle, and we have never done anything wrong before."

"Okay," I nodded, though Edward's upbeat tone didn't really make me feel any better. The Volturi sounded dangerous, especially to someone like me, a weak human. Sure, Edward had his family had never done anything to upset them, but you can never say never. I knew these thoughts were silly, but I could not help but be a little frightened.

Edward leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead. "Seriously, Bella. Relax. Nothing will happen to you because of the Volturi."

"They just sound a little scary, that's all."

"They do sound scary, but you have a big, strong and good looking vampire to protect you from anything they do."

I looked up at him, an amused look on my face. He was trying to distract me. My heart swelled with love.

"Good looking?" I questioned. "You think an awful lot of yourself don't you?"

"Are you denying it?" he challenged.

"Now," I said, placing a quick and chaste kiss upon his lips. "I never said that, did I?"

He grinned before capturing my lips in a heart-melting, panty-wetting, ridiculously loving kiss. His tongue passed straight through my lips, tangling with my own. He tasted amazing, like vanilla and pure Edward. I threaded my hands through his hair as he kissed me, bringing him as close as possible. It was pure heaven.

We pulled away in order for me to catch some much needed breath, as Edward pressed his forehead gently to mine, brushing his fingertips across my cheeks, caressing the skin delicately and tenderly.

"So beautiful," I barely heard him whisper, causing my heart to pound.

My argument with Jacob was forgotten. The discussion about the Volturi was forgotten. All my previous apprehension and fear was forgotten. All that mattered was the man in front of me, caressing me and holding me like no other, loving me like I needed.


	19. Golden touch

_Hello!_

_A huge thanks to WeFallForever, mixmatched9, sujari6, Coleen561, mommymac0508, Sammy, melanieintn and teamedwardtwilightfan for their reviews. Thank you!_

_So, the first of my uni essays is out of the way. Hooray… just 700 more to go! Lol. I wrote this chapter in any spare moments I had, so I hope you like it and, as ever, let me know what you think._

_This chapter is named after "Golden touch" by Razorlight. Awesome song, definitely a classic._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, but neither do you, so there!_

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

I never really realized how curious Alice Cullen was until she decided to bombard me with questions one morning. We were both up early and so decided to have breakfast, though it was more of an interview than a meal. The pixie never gave up on anything, that I can tell you. And she never let up with the questions either. Even before I had finished answering one, she would start another, enthusiasm and curiosity burning bright in her blue eyes.

But she had this knack, this little way of making you answer her whether you wanted to or not. I wasn't sure if it was because she was young, or small, or cute, or whether she had us all wrapped around her little finger, but Alice was indeed the best interrogator I had ever seen. The FBI would love her!

"Was it romantic?" she asked as she slipped some bread into the toaster.

"It was very romantic," I replied as the bacon sizzled away in the pan before me. _When did breakfast become a Q and A session?_

"And was he sweet to you? He wasn't mean, was he?"

"Of course not. He would never do that."

"Did he give you flowers, or chocolates?"

"He didn't, but it was a spontaneous confession. Flowers and chocolates weren't needed."

"Still," she mumbled. "He should have given you something. I would have wanted something."

I smiled at Alice's obvious disgust for Edward's lack of gifts to me. Today she was interrogating me on Edward's confession of his feelings and love a few days ago. She had done nothing but swoon and sigh over the whole thing, thinking of it as a fairytale almost. But when it got down to her questions on the nitty gritty details, she was fierce!

"And did you tell him that you loved him back?" she asked.

"I did," I answered, a content feeling gripping my body. "With all my heart."

"Aw," she sighed. "It's all so… wonderful." She jumped when the toast suddenly popped up from the toaster, breaking her from her girly musings.

We sat and ate breakfast in comfortable silence before Alice stood up and told me that she was going to see what Jasper was up to. Ever since his return at the start of the summer, the two of them had been inseparable, always living in each other's pockets. I sometimes wondered whether I was Alice's nanny or if Jasper was! She was halfway to the door when I stopped her.

"Not before you wash the dishes," I said.

"What?" she exclaimed, her shoulders slumping. "But… well… I don't want to. I wanna see Jasper."

"Come on, Alice," I said, taking our plates to the sink. "The washing up won't do itself. You messed up the plate, you wash it."

"But I'm not very good at it," she tried.

"Fine. You can dry, then," I said, amused by her somewhat annoyed expression.

And so we washed and dried our messy things, making quick work of the task, much to Alice's thanks. I knew she was like a little princess to the Cullens, but she had to do something around the house. She couldn't get away with learning no manners. Granted, it was my job to clean the Cullen house, but it was also my job as a nanny to teach Alice the life skills she would need. And I wasn't about to get sloppy with my work. I got paid to do this stuff, so I was going to do a damn good job of it.

"Good morning, Love. Morning, Pixie," came a heavenly voice from the kitchen doorway. I turned to look at _him_, rather pleased with what I saw, my legs almost melting at the very sight. His snug gray t-shirt fit perfectly against his body, showing off every curve and muscle he had. His baggy jeans hung loosely from his hips, his feet bare and his hair its usual disarray.

_God, he looks good. Bella, you're drooling!_

"Morning, Edward," Alice and I chimed in unison as Edward entered the room and approached us. After giving me a warm peck on the cheek, he ruffled Alice's hair, much to her upset.

"Edward, it took me ages to get my hair to look this way this morning," Alice whined.

"And would you look at that, it only took me mere seconds to ruin it," Edward laughed. I could not resist chuckling at Edward and Alice's playful sibling relationship. You would never guess that one was a twelve-year-old human and the other a hundred year old vampire. It was like they were truly related and I suppose, to them at least, they were.

"God, you're so annoying," she sulked before leaving the two of us behind to search for Jasper, talking under her breath the whole time. I shook my head, finding the whole thing quite funny really. Only a pre-teenage girl could react so crazily to someone messing up her hair. Alice really was a drama queen at times, but we all loved her for it.

That was when I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist from behind and pair of well known lips kiss me behind my ear. I shivered in delight.

"And how are you this morning?" Edward asked me sweetly.

"Very well, thank you," I replied, turning in his arms and resting my head against his chest. "How are you?"

"Much better for seeing you," he answered. "I felt lost without you."

I slapped his arm playfully for his cheesy romantic line and pulled away to continue on with my work. Thankfully he laughed.

"Got any plans today?" he questioned as I put the last of our plates away.

"Not that I know of," I answered. "Why?"

"Because I'm going to take you somewhere today," he said proudly.

"Really?" I asked, my curiosity peaked. "Where?"

He leaned forward and kissed my forehead before retreating out of the room. "It's a surprise," he shouted before quickly popping his head around the door again. "But dress up warm. It may be sunny today, but it's still cold. Meet me in the living room in fifteen minutes." And then he left again.

So I did exactly what he said. I quickly finished up in the kitchen and hurried to my room. Retrieving from my wardrobe what I needed, my coat and my gloves - it may be chilly Forks, but it is technically summer, so I knew I would need my scarf or hat too - and I hurried back down to the living room and waited.

Then, just as he said, Edward appeared, looking no different than normal, except his hair, which he had obviously tried to organize and had failed. Not that I minded. His messy hair was one of my favorite features of Edward. His lack of coat surprised me, but he was a vampire, wasn't he? Vampires don't need to wrap up warm since they don't feel the cold. He grinned when he spotted me.

"Ready?" he asked, retrieving his front door key and slipping it into his pocket.

"Yes, but I'd be even more ready of you told me where we are going," I answered.

He smirked before placing a chaste kiss upon my lips. "All will be revealed in good time, Love."

I had to admit, I was a little anxious and excited when he took my hand and led me out of the house and into the woods beyond. I had absolutely no clue whatsoever as where we were going or what we would be doing. All I knew was that we would be outside and, since we were walking there, we wouldn't be far from the house. We could be doing anything at all, anything! The forests in Forks were very vast and large, so I just prayed that we weren't going on a trek. I was the clumsiest idiot on the planet, and the last thing I needed was trip over some fallen tree trunk and fall face first into a pile of mud.

_If it's going to happen to someone, it will happen to me!_

Edward seemed pretty happy with where we were going, but his knowing smile was smug and full of mystery. He knew exactly where we were going and there was no way in hell I was going to get it out of him, much to my annoyance.

"Please," I begged for the tenth time since we left the house. "I hate surprises, and I'm going to find out anyway when we get there."

"Good things come to those who wait, Bella," he replied.

My jaw set in anger. Now I knew exactly how Alice felt this morning when her hair had been messed. It was like torture! All I wanted to know was where we were going, it was as simple as that. But no. I had to have the only boyfriend in the world who would tell me absolutely nothing.

_Bella, he's trying to surprise you with something nice. Give the guy a break._

I hated my subconscious at that moment, always siding with Edward when I didn't. _Traitor!_

I despised surprises, always had, always would. Ever since I was a child, I'd had a distinct hatred for them. When I was 5 years old and my mother organized a birthday party, I had burst out crying when every jumped out shouting surprise. It wasn't from joy, it was from the shock and not knowing what was happening. It was the worst birthday of my life, and my mother knew never to do it again! My habits weren't about to change. Whether I was 5 or 20, surprises still got on my nerves.

But I caved in and let Edward get on with it. I loved him and trusted him, and he seemed to know what he was doing. He would never do anything to scare or frighten me, nor would he do anything to hurt or harm me. I was in safe hands, and I knew that the surprise would be a good one… regardless of how much I protested!

We walked for a good twenty minutes through the woods, climbing over trees, trekking through leaves and plants. Edward helped me over anything I struggled with and made sure I was at his side the whole time. Each step we took looked the same, every single direction showing me either trees, grass, or more trees. Were I on my own, I would be utterly lost. I had no idea where we were.

Then Edward stopped.

"Okay," he began, "your surprise is just up ahead, so I want you to close your eyes for me."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because then it wouldn't be surprise, duh!"

I huffed and I puffed, but I closed my eyes anyway, Edward taking my hands in his in order to lead me forward. I took each step dubiously, fearing that I would trip if I didn't. I took several steps more before Edward stopped me in my tracks. He moved behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Open your eyes," he gently whispered in my ear, so I did.

_Whoa…_

Words could not describe what my eyes saw. Well, they could, but they certainly wouldn't give what I saw any justice. We were in a meadow, a large, vast, and beautiful meadow, as green and fresh as anything I had ever seen in my life. Thousands of wildflowers covered the ground, all different colors and sizes, giving off a delightful scent which filled my nose. The gentle breeze blew them from side to side, rustling the leaves in the trees that surround the meadow, the tall plants almost creating a fence to box the meadow in. Parts of the ground were illuminated with sunlight, the rays casting down, almost making the place glow. It was stunning.

"What is this place?" I asked Edward.

"This is my meadow," he told me as he wrapped his arms around my waist. "Back when we first came to Forks, I found this place on one of my hunts. As far as I know, nobody else knows where it is, so I usually come here for a little peace and quiet, you know? It's sort of my little secret, and since I want to share everything with you, Love, my meadow is your meadow."

"I love it," I whispered, a grin forming on my lips. "It's so beautiful."

"I know."

I turned my head to look up at him. "And it's all ours?"

"Yes. It's all ours," he smiled, leaning down to place a chaste kiss on my lips.

He released me from his hold and took my hand before leading me further into the meadow, walking me into the very centre and sitting down, pulling me into his lap. I took another gaze around the meadow, taking it all in as Edward picked a blue wildflower and presented it to me. I took it from his hand, kissed his cheek and gave the flower a sniff. It smelt wonderful.

"So," Edward said. "Do you like our meadow?"

"It's so perfect, Edward," I told him. "Like something from a fairytale. I never knew somewhere so amazing could exist."

"I knew you'd like it," he told me. "I've wanted to show you this place for weeks, but the opportunity never arose. And you can come here when ever you like."

"But I don't know how to get here," I argued. It was true. The meadow was beautiful, but I had absolutely no idea where the hell we were. We were still in Forks, I think. That's all I knew!

"Well I do, so you'll just have to bring me with you every time," Edward smirked.

"Hmmm…" I said. "That doesn't sound so bad, does it?"

"Not bad at all, Love. Not bad at all," Edward whispered as he lowered his head to mine, capturing my lips with his own. I sighed in contentment as our lips moved together, a warmth spreading throughout me at his touch. I wrapped my arms around his neck, settling into the kiss, loving the feel of Edward. His tongue quickly passed through my lips and mingled with my own, creating delicious goosebumps across my skin. I loved the way he made me feel. At times I almost craved it.

He lifted his hand, unzipped my coat, slipped it from my shoulders and cast it somewhere across the meadow, I wasn't sure where. The sudden cold sent a chill throughout my body, but it was a good chill. I liked it.

I groaned as Edward removed me from his lap and gently lay me on the floor, his body hovering over mine, his chest pressing against mine as we kissed. I threaded my hands through his hair, tugging on the strands as his tongue did wonders to my mouth, making me wonder how in the world he had chosen me above all others. This man was an angel, a god, the most amazing creature on this earth… and he was all mine.

But then the kiss became heated, the feel of it changing. It became urgent and needy, hot and rough. The coil in my stomach began to wind the more he touched me and I knew I wanted him closer.

Edward grasped my thigh pulling my leg up until I wrapped it securely around his waist, trying to get me as close to him as humanly possible. Who was I to stop him? I wanted it just as much as he did. Our kiss deepened as his hand began to trail under my shirt and up my stomach, the goosebumps growing stronger and heavier, my breath catching in my throat.

_God, his hands are amazing…_

He removed his mouth from my own, allowing me room for a much needed breath, but his lips did not stop. No sooner did they leave my mouth did they attach themselves to my neck, Edward kissing me and sucking me like a mad man starved of food, afraid to let me go, marking me as his.

"Edward," I moaned as his hand traveled further up my body, reaching the material of my bra, lifting it and capturing my bare breast in his hand. The feel of our skin connected in such an intimate place made my back arch and a gasp leave my lips. God, this felt good. I never knew something could feel this good. My entire skin was alight with lust and want and love. Only Edward could do this to me, nobody else. Only him.

"Bella," he groaned into my neck as he nipped gently at my skin, the pleasure running heavily through both of us. "Oh, Bella…"

I arched my back more, wanting his hand even closer, my nipple pebbling under his fingers as he caressed me tenderly, massaging the skin and making the coil wind even tighter… and in the next instant, his hand was gone, leaving me breathless and a little annoyed. That was until I realized where his hand was heading. It wasn't until I opened my heavy lidded eyes that I realized he was opening the zip to my jeans.

I was suddenly brought back to my senses, my lust filled body sobering up again. No, not yet, I wasn't ready for that yet.

"Wait, stop," I said breathlessly. Edward continued to kiss along my neck, his hands continuing their work on my jeans, ignoring completely what I had said.

"Edward, wait," I said, grasping his hands in mine and pulling them away from my lower half. His mouth left my neck immediately, his eyes looking down at me with both confusion and concern.

"What's wrong, Love?" he asked. "Is everything okay? I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"No, far from it," I said. "It's just… we're going a little fast, don't you think?… and… I'm not ready for that yet…"

"You're not?"

"No," I said, shaking my head, my cheeks reddening. "I want to, but I don't know how... and I'm not sure... since I've never… you know." I felt flustered and a little embarrassed, but if we were going to be together, he had to know everything.

My vampire blinked at me for a few seconds before realization finally filled his golden eyes. He looked both apologetic and distraught.

"You mean, you're a… virgin?" he asked, and I nodded. He automatically rolled off me and sat up, placing his head in his hands. "Oh god," he whispered. "What must you think of me? I practically force myself on you and you aren't ready for it yet. God, I'm sorry, Love. I'm so so sorry."

I sat up next to him, pulling his hands from his hands and holding them tightly in mine.

"There's nothing to apologize for, Edward," I told him. "I was a part of that just as much as you were, but I'm not ready for the next step, at least not yet."

"But I didn't even ask if it was alright, I just… attacked you," he said.

I smiled. "Edward, I love you, and at some point, I am going to want to go all the way with you. Just not yet. This whole relationship thing is new to me, and I don't want to ruin it by rushing into anything."

"I know. Of course. Anything you want," he said, raising my hands to his lips, kissing across my palms. "We will go at your pace, and we won't do anything you don't want to do. God, I'm sorry."

"Hey," I said, removing my hands from his and cradling his face in them. "I never said I didn't like what we did. It felt kinda… good."

Edward smirked then. "So you liked it?"

I nodded and blushed, my cheeks warming greatly at my admittance. It was true that I wasn't ready to go all the way. I had never been intimate with a man before and I wanted my first time to be special, not a spontaneous fumble in the woods. I wanted to be with Edward more than anything, and the thought that he would be my first thrilled me.

I knew that Edward had been with other women before, and if he told me he hadn't then he was lying. No one as handsome and charming as him could have gone through a hundred years without at least sleeping with one person, but I didn't hold this fact against him because I knew that he had chosen _me _in the end. All those other women he had slept with meant nothing now, because I was the one he loved and I was the one he wanted to be with. They were just mere memories. I was what mattered to him.

"Yes," I said. "I liked it… a lot."

"Good to know," he said thoughtfully. "And you don't mind going to second base again should the moment catch us?"

I giggled. "No. Not at all. I quite enjoyed it."

"Again, good to know," he said to me before he began to run his nose along my cheeks. I let out a shaky breath, the intimacy still new and exciting to me. I clutched his hand in mine.

"I do want to be intimate with you, Edward," I reassured him. "Please know that I'm not rejecting you."

I felt him smile as he kissed my cheeks. "I know. I want to be with you too, and I'm sorry for pushing you. I promise we will go at your pace next time."

"Thank you," I said before I lifted my head and kissed him again, letting him know that I loved and adored him in the one action that could.


	20. First date

_Hi! _

_A huge thanks to sujari6, mommymac0508, Cina's, Coleen561, WeFallForever and melanieintn for the reviews. Thank you!_

_Onto the next chapter, and this one is longer than normal. If you like love, fluff and a little bit of lime, this one is for you. I was lucky to get this one out, especially with all my uni work, and my christmas shopping. I'm half way through it, folks!_

_This chapter is named after "First Date" by Blink 182_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Boy, am I sick of saying that!_

* * *

Edward Cullen's Point of View

"We're going on a what?" Bella questioned.

"A date," I answered happily.

"You mean an actual date?"

"Yes, Bella. A real life, me and you, dinner and movie date."

The satisfied and pleased grin that spread across her lips was not only beautiful, but it was massively infectious. We were lying upon Bella's bed, our legs and bodies tangled together as we just lay and held each other, spending a peaceful afternoon in each other's company.

"Wow, I've never been on a date before," she said as I stroked her long brown hair, twisting the strands around my fingers.

"Well, neither have I, so guess we're in the same boat, huh?"

It was true. In all the years I had lived and through all the women I had been with, not once had I taken them on a date. It wasn't that I was rude or cheap, it was a case of none of those women deserved a date. Being born in 1901 meant that I'd been brought up to take a woman on dates and court her only if you loved her and intended to be with her, and I'd never intended to be with any of those women. They were all just a laugh and a quick fuck. Nothing permanent. Nothing that would last for forever.

But Bella deserved a date. She deserved to be wined and dinned and treated like an utter princess. Because, you see, Bella was permanent. Bella would last for forever. I loved her, I adored her, I worshiped the fucking ground she walked on. She was nothing like those other women, nothing like them at all.

Bella meant the world to me, and I intended to date her and court her, just as I should. I was a gentleman and I would treat her like the lady that she was.

_Only the best for my Bella…_

"Well, where are we going?" she asked eagerly, begging me with her eyes to tell me.

I wanted to surprise her with a trip to a restaurant and a movie, but I knew how much she hated surprises. It was only the other day that I had surprised her with the meadow. She was so happy and pleased when she finally saw it, but I thought she was going to bite my fucking head off during the journey there! She really did not like surprises!

"I was thinking a movie, your choice, of course, and dinner, wherever you want to go." Of course it was her choice, she would be the only one eating the food.

"Anything I want?" she asked. I nodded. "Even a mushy rom-com?"

_Oh jeez…_

"Anything you want," I told her. As if I could deny her anything!

"And then for a little Italian food later on?"

"If you wish. I've heard there's a brilliant Italian restaurant in downtown Port Angels," I informed her. "We could catch the movie at the local cinema before then. How does that sound?"

She leaned forward and slowly kissed my lips before pulling away. "Its sounds perfect. Thank you." I caressed her cheek once before getting up from her bed and heading to the door.

"We leave at 7, so make sure you're ready." I put my hand on the door handle. "Oh, and Alice already knows about this and she is very eager to get you ready."

I heard Bella groan and I could not resist chuckling. I opened the door and the pixie herself was waiting behind it, ready to get to work, makeup and hair products in hand. I allowed her into Bella's room before proceeding to my own in order to get ready myself. It was 5pm, so I knew I had a few hours. I decided to start with a quick shower. The warm water that cascaded down my body worked as a fantastic relaxant, making my nerves a little less on the edge.

And I was nervous, I wasn't afraid to admit it. I'd never done this kind of thing before. With all the other women in my life, I had met them, fucked them, left them. It was as simple as that. I'd never had to impress them because I knew they wouldn't be around much longer to impress. But I wanted tonight to be perfect. I wanted Bella to have the greatest, funnest, most enjoyable night of her life.

I wanted to show her that I wasn't just a bloodthirsty vampire who wants to drain every last drop of blood from her body. I wanted to prove that I was a gentleman who treated her well and loved her like nothing before. I knew she loved me, but I wanted to show her that I was worthy of her love.

After my shower, I entered my room, towel drying my hair as best as I could, and opened the doors to my massive wardrobe. I had to look the part tonight. I had to look the bee's knees, dapper, sharp. I needed something presentable and smart that would take Bella's breath away and attract that beautiful blush that I adored so much.

I finally decided on a dark blue shirt, dark grey suit pants, and the matching suit jacket. I slipped on the shirt and pants, leaving a few buttons open, and matched the whole outfit with my smartest black shoes. She'd love them. I stepped in front of my mirror, running my fingers through my hair in an attempt to make it at least presentable. It was a complete waste of time, of course. My hair had a mind of its own; it did whatever it liked, regardless of whether I wanted it to or not. The only thing I could do was limit the damage as much as I could. It still stuck in every direction, looking a fucking mess upon my head. So I just gave up. It would have to stay as it was. I sprayed on my best cologne before I put my suit jacket on, straightening it and getting comfy in it.

I was ready.

I looked at my clock realizing there was a good 45 minutes before I would have to see Bella and I was at a bit of a loss over what to do till then. I was beyond tempted to just slip into Alice's mind and see how Bella looked, but I resisted, wanting her to be a surprise. She would look perfect, no doubt. She always did. Whether she was dressed in a graceful ball gown like at the charity ball, or in a pair of pajamas, she looked so gorgeous and tempting that I often had to restrain myself from taking her. It was no secret that I yearned for both her blood and her body.

Our day in the meadow and been nothing but eventful. Oh god, how much I loved her during our trip. The kisses she gave me, the tingling sensation as I touched her skin, her gasps as she arched her breast into my hand. I was almost ready to combust with love and lust. She knew exactly how to react to me, the venom pooling in my mouth, my body reacting to her just as much.

But I couldn't go any further because she didn't want me to. She was not ready and I completely understood that. My Bella had never done anything like that before and I would never forgive myself if I did something that she didn't want. Her first time would be special, it would be romantic, it would be everything she could ever want.

But it was the fact that she hadn't had sex before that thrilled me. I would be Bella's first. Me. No one else. I would be the one she would giver herself to, the only one to make her feel that way, the only one to give her the pleasure that kind of intimacy could bring. And no one else would ever give her that, I would make sure of it. Bella was mine for life now. No other man would touch her or feel her like I would. She was fucking mine, and I planned to keep it that way.

However, my thoughts about the meadow certainly gave me an idea. Quicker than my mind could process the idea, I fled my room and ran outside, running quickly to our meadow. It was pitch black outside, but with my vampiric vision that didn't matter. I picked her the biggest most colorful bunch of wildflowers that I could, making sure every size and color was there before running home again. By the time I had organized them sensibly, it was time to go fetch Bella. I left my room, flowers in hand and approached her door.

I actually felt my hands shaking with nerves, something that had never happened to me before. But, then again, I'd never been on a date before. Taking a steady breath, I raised my hand and knocked three times, waiting eagerly for an answer.

The door opened and an annoying little pixie stuck her head out.

"Yes?" she enquired.

"Is she ready?" I asked, needing to see my Bella.

"She is, but you certainly aren't," she told me.

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Of course I'm ready. It took me ages to pick this suit out."

"But have you seen your hair?" she said. "Surely you could have done _something _with it."

"Alice, if you can manage to make my air look remotely presentable, I will buy you the yellow Porsche you want so much myself. It's impossible."

She thought for a moment before sighing. "You make a fair point. Your hair always looks a mess."

_Wow, jeez. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Alice!_

"So, can I please see Bella now?" I asked.

"Sure," she said, sliding from the door and out into the hallway, heading to her room. "Have fun tonight, guys," she shouted behind her as she closed her bedroom door.

I shook my head. The pixie was ridiculously annoying at times, but you couldn't help but love her. Speaking of loving people, that was when I noticed Bella's bedroom door slide open revealing the girl herself.

My jaw almost hit the floor.

_Wow…_

God, she was stunning. No, she was beautiful. No, she was amazing. No, she was downright perfect, just like an angel. That little pixie was an absolute genius. Bella stood there in a white baby doll dress, a black cardigan and short black heels, the colors contrasting perfectly with her naturally pale skin. Her makeup was light, but enough to bring out her natural beauty. I loved her smoky eye makeup and I knew I'd want her to wear it like that again. Her hair hung around her shoulders and down her back in waves, framing her face and making her look completely mouthwatering.

And this girl was all mine.

Her hands were in front of her, fidgeting nervously, her blush in full flow. It seemed I wasn't the only one a bit scared of tonight. But I would reassure her, make her feel comfortable, let her know that I wanted no one but her.

"Hi," she whispered timidly, biting her lip.

"Hi," I replied, my eyes raking over every part of her, taking her all in. "You look… you just… you look so…"

I couldn't get the words out because no words could describe her. So I told her with actions. I marched over to her, grabbed her into my arms and kissed her with every ounce of passion that I had. She gasped as I kissed her but quickly settled into the kiss, opening her mouth for me to let my tongue in. She was so warm and inviting that I could not help but moan.

We finally pulled away so she could breathe. I ran my nose across her flustered cheek as she managed to get her breath back. My body could not bear to part with her at the moment. She gripped my shoulders tightly.

"It's nice to see you too," she said with a slight giggle. "I assume you like the dress?"

"You have no idea," I whispered as I peppered kisses along her cheeks, finally pulling away so that I could give her the flowers I had picked for her.

"They're beautiful," she beamed as she took them from me and smelt them. "They're from the meadow."

I nodded as she placed them gently on her bed and embraced me. "Thank you," she whispered in my ear, her breath warm and electric on my icy cold skin. I took her hand, kissed it and led us out of the room. We walked downstairs where I grabbed her coat and helped her into it. The nights in Forks were chilly and I wasn't about to let my Bella freeze anytime soon.

"Have fun, kids," Esme shouted after us as we opened the front door.

"And don't do anything I wouldn't do, Edward," Emmett shouted before bursting into laughter. The shout of pain that came soon after from him made me laugh. Rosalie could be mean at times, and she was never afraid to beat Emmett around a little if he teased us.

We shouted our goodbyes before heading outside and hurrying into my Volvo. I switched the heater on the second we closed the car doors, and I made sure Bella put on her seatbelt before I pulled away.

The car ride to Port Angles was relatively silent, the radio playing quietly in the background. Words weren't needed between us, the silence was a comfortable one. But I could tell from her heavy heartbeat that she was still nervous. Fuck, I was too! I took her hand in mine, giving it a squeeze and offering her a reassuring smile. This seemed to work as her heartbeat slowed immediately.

The cinema was fairly busy when we arrived, but what else do you expect on a Friday night? There were families, groups of friends, other couples. The place was lively, but I was happy enough. With Bella by my side, I could not help but be happy. We walked to the cashier desk, hand in hand, and I asked for two tickets to some rubbish rom-com that Bella had been dying to see. I can't stand girly films, I hated the very sight of them, but I gritted my teeth and entered the cinema anyway because watching it made my Bella happy, and tonight was all about my Bella.

We took our seats near the back, myself annoyed that the sticky floor was probably ruining my shoes. Bella seemed to think nothing of it and sat down without a qualm. I settled in next to her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders immediately. Nothing was going to keep me away from my girl tonight. Nothing.

"You okay, Edward?" she asked me once she'd slipped her coat off, hanging it on the empty seat next to her. "You seem quiet."

I wasn't about to admit that the floor was ruining my shoes or that I hated girly films beyond anything, because that would ruin her night. And nothing was going to ruin our first date, not even a bit of sticky spilt soda.

"I'm fine, Love," I grinned, kissing her cheek. "Perfectly fine."

"Good," she replied as the lights lowered and screen lit up. She snuggled into my side and rested her head upon my shoulder as the film began, getting herself comfortable.

The film was just as you would expect, boy meets girl, comedic interlude full of ups and downs show how they get together, boy gets girl and drives off into the sunset, exactly the same as any other chick flick I had ever seen. I scoffed at some parts while Bella just giggled. She really seemed to be enjoying it and that was good enough for me. She giggled, she cried, she jumped, she sighed, she even snuggled closer to me when the big kiss happened at the end, something which I was only too happy to return. I snuggled back to her, kissing her temple. Her content smile was a picture.

When the lights finally came back up and the screen emptied, Bella's gleeful stare made me smile.

"Did you like the film?" she asked.

"It was… uh, yeah, it was great," I replied, the best answer I could muster.

She giggled. "You don't really like rom-coms, do you?"

_Busted!_ "Not really," I answered sheepishly.

"Then why didn't you say? We could have gone to see something we both liked."

"Because I knew how much you wanted to see this film," I answered. "And I couldn't resist putting that happy grin on your face."

Her smile was so bright that it lit up the room. She took my face in her hands and kissed me deeply. "You're too good to me," she said, stroking my face and pulling me in for a hug. "Far too good."

And that was when Bella's stomach rumbled. I pulled away from her hug, an amused expression on my face.

"And you are far too hungry." Bella blushed, so I stood, taking her jacket and putting on her, wrapping her up warm. "Come on, let's get you fed." I placed a sweet kiss on the tip of her nose, took her hand and led her from the cinema, straight to the Volvo.

The drive to the restaurant only took us 5 minutes and the warmth upon entering the place made Bella shiver. The waiter took us to our table, his annoying eyes either on the menus he handed us or on Bella's chest, his thoughts rather colorful indeed. I growled at him as I sat Bella down and tucked in her seat, letting him know that he had no chance with her. Bella was mine, not his. He could fuck off. He soon got the idea, running off with his tail between his legs. Bella looked at me with a confused look.

"Nobody messes with my girl," I told her, making her blush profusely.

_Damn, she looks good._

She ordered lasagna whilst I just ordered a plate of fries to keep up appearances. A different waiter brought our food, and thankfully his thoughts were completely clean and honest. Bella ate the food up rather quickly, her hunger apparent. She even finished off my fries for me too! She finished off her drink, claiming that she was full and didn't need a desert, despite my insistence.

I paid the waiter, the whole night being on me, of course, and we exited the restaurant. I made sure Bella was wrapped up warm as we took a leisurely stroll through the car park to the Volvo. I held her tightly against me, my arm around her waist.

"So, have you enjoyed tonight, Love?" I asked her as we walked.

She nodded her head vigorously. "The greatest of my life," she answered. I bent my head down and kissed her soundly. "Thank you. I don't want it to end."

"Me neither," I said as I deepened the kiss. "I never want it to end with you."

I pulled away and noticed her blush immediately. My lips went straight back to hers, the need to have her too strong. "You need to stop blushing," I said in-between kisses.

"Why?" she asked breathlessly.

"Because it drives me wild, Love."

"Then let it," she replied.

_Now she's asking for it._

I picked her up and kissed her again, leading her back to the car. She wrapped her legs eagerly around my waist as I ran my hands up and down her arms, eliciting such a delicious shiver from her. We reached the car and I pushed her back against it, setting her on her feet and kissing her like a mad man. I needed this connection, I needed this touch that she was offering me, I just needed her.

Allowing her breath, I began kissing her neck, torturing myself by lingering my lips on the point where her pulse was strongest. Fuck, how I wanted her blood. I craved it, I yearned for it, I screamed for it… but I needed Bella more.

"Edward…" she whispered suddenly. "Cold… the car… please."

I understood her pleas. Picking her up immediately and opening the car door, I slid us both into the driver's seat, reclining in it while Bella straddled me, the car much warmer than outside. I moved my lips back to hers and she pulled me closer, reveling in our connection, lost in the moment of passion that was happening between us. I slipped her black cardigan from her shoulders, casting it into the back seat, the creamy skin below finally being revealed. I began placing kisses across her shoulders, her groans only encouraging me.

I loved the way I could make her react. The little noises she made, the little movements she made, all of it only spurring me on further. She grabbed my face, pulling my lips back to hers, quickly thrusting her tongue into my mouth. My body quickly reacted to that, my pants getting tighter. I loved how bold Bella could be sometimes.

But I knew how this worked. Bella had to take the lead. It was up to her what we did, how far we went. I downright refused to go all the way tonight, I didn't want her first time to be in my car. I wanted it to be romantic, with candles and soft music and romantic lighting. It would not be like this.

But that didn't mean I wasn't going to give her what she wanted tonight.

My hands moved while I kissed her, sliding down the straps of her dress. She didn't stop me as they slid down her body. She didn't stop me as I took her bra with it. She didn't stop me when I left her half-naked in front of me, her body and skin mine for the taking.

My hand went immediately to her left breast, touching it, fingering it, holding it, causing every last breath to vanish from her throat. She left my lips, throwing her head back, gasping at the new sensation my hands created, her moan like a sound from heaven. I kissed down her throat, down her collarbone, down her chest till my lips reached her right breast, kissing and caressing the breast with my lips and tongue as I went.

She was the greatest thing I had ever tasted. Better than any blood I had ever had, better than any woman that I had tasted before. She was so sweet and beautiful that I didn't think I could ever tare my mouth from her again. Her taste was perfect, like sunshine and strawberries and pure Bella. It was like she was made for me or something, I couldn't get enough of her.

"Edward…" she groaned. "More… please…"

I was only too happy to oblige. I switched breasts, handling her right and kissing her left. She threaded her hands through my hair as her breathing became labored, the sensations taking over her body. She began rocking against me, needing to be closer, needing more friction, and I knew that was when we had to stop. Anymore and we wouldn't be able to stop ourselves. I removed myself from her chest and began kissing her lips again, much more gently this time.

"I love you…," she whispered against my lips.

"I love you, too," I replied, bringing up my hands to run the fingertips across her cheeks. "More than you'll ever realize."

"But we should stop, we have to stop," she said, almost reading my mind. "Before we get too carried away."

I nodded and helped her pull her bra and dress back on properly before giving her one last kiss and allowing her to take her seat again.

We arrived home soon after that. I helped Bella out of the car, her body fully dressed now and held her hand as we walked up to the front door and walked inside. I helped her take her coat off before she turned to me, hope glittering in her deep brown eyes.

"Hey, I was wondering if, you know, you'd like to sleep in my room tonight. We don't have to do anything, of course, we could just… cuddle."

A satisfied smile appeared on my lips. "There is no other place I'd rather be tonight," I said. "Go up and get ready and I'll be up in a short while."

She nodded happily before she bolted upstairs and to her room, a place I quickly intended on following her to. But firstly I needed to find Carlisle and let him know we were home. I knew that he and Esme would only worry otherwise. I soon found him in his study, his thoughts somewhat flustered and confused. I knocked on his door and stuck my head in.

"Hey, just thought I'd let you know that we're home. Is everything okay?"

He ran his hands through his hair. He did not look good. "I think you should sit down, Edward."

I swallowed, hard, a worried feeling erupting throughout my body. But I entered the room anyway, taking a seat opposite Carlisle. He said nothing, but merely passed me a letter over his desk. I took it in my hands and noticed the Volturi seal upon it straight away. If I had a heart, I knew it would be pounding right now.

"Do I want to read this?" I asked my father, looking at him.

"Probably not," he replied. "But it doesn't matter either way. You'll find out soon enough."

"What do they want, Carlisle," I asked. "Just tell me." I had a sickening feeling deep in my stomach. I didn't like this one bit.

"They want you," he said. "Or, more accurately, they want you to do something."

"What?" I asked, tapping my fingers against my thigh nervously. I tried to get into his thoughts and saw the truth straight away. I stood up abruptly, knocking over my chair in my haste. "NO! I won't do it. I won't fucking do it. Not now. Not after everything."

"I'm sorry, Edward," Carlisle sighed. "But Aro's word is final. There's nothing I can do. This is what he is requesting of you."

"An arranged marriage?" I exclaimed.

"To Tanya Denali," my father replied. "Aro believes the marriage will be beneficial to our family. He knows how strong and influential the Denali clan are in our world and he thinks a connection to them could put us right up there with the greats. He feels it could do wonders for us."

"I won't do it," I said sternly. "I won't. I won't put Bella through anything like that. I love her, no one else. I'm not marrying Tanya fucking Denali."

"I'm sorry, Edward," Carlisle said, and I knew all that he had told me was true. There really was nothing I could do. Aro's word was final. The Volturi's word was final. What they said went, and if they wanted me to marry someone, I would have to. i collapsed onto my knees, my body no longer feeling like my own. I'd have to marry her. I'd have to do something I didn't want, for the good of the family.

But all I could think of in that moment was my sweet Bella's face, happy and joyful, smiling and grinning. She was still waiting for me up in her room, waiting for my touch, my presence, my love.

How the fuck was I going to tell her about this? How the hell was I going to break her heart?

* * *

_You didn't think I was going to make it that easy, did you?_

_By the way, I'm on twitter if anyone is interested. Whether you want any info on my stories, want to hear my daily musings, or are just a general stalker, my twitter feed is open for viewing. I'm rachydoodle03._


	21. All good things come to an end

_Hello!_

_A massive thanks to Coleen561, mixmatched9, melanieintn, flock6, sujari6, mommymac0508, WeFallForever, teamedwardtwilightfan and Twerd101 for their reviews. Thank you!_

_Firstly, a huge sorry for the late update. We temporarily had our internet cut off this week, so I couldn't update at all. Turned out the router was broken and we had to have a new one installed. It wasn't good. I had university assignments to research for, and fictions to update, so it couldn't have come at a worse time! But for those 3 days, I was like a walking zombie without the internet. I never knew how reliant I'd become of it. I think I just need to spend a week in the wide open and the fresh air without any technology around me and see how I do. Actually, no. I'd probably kill myself! I need technology!_

_Anyway, chapter is here now and that's all that matters._

_This chapter is named after "All good things come to an end" by Nelly Furtado. Love this song._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, it isn't mine, so just leave me alone! Jeez!_

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

I was starting to get freaked out, like majorly freaked out. Things around me seemed to be different, and not in a good way. Ha! Far from it. I didn't like this change and I was terrified of what could happen because of it. I always thought that change was supposed to be a good thing, a great thing, something to look forward too and grab with open arms. But in my vampire's case, I guess it wasn't.

Edward wasn't himself.

Not in the slightest. He seemed distant and far-off all of the time, almost as if he was in his own little bubble and nobody else was welcome. When he spoke to me or kissed me, it seemed that he wasn't totally there. Whilst his body was with me, his mind wasn't. I didn't like it, not one bit. Something had changed, something had happened for him to do this total u-turn, and I feared that it was me.

He takes me out on the most amazing date, gropes the hell out of me in his car, takes me home, then everything suddenly changes.

He wasn't cold towards me, far from it. He still held me and kissed me, and we had definitely gone to second base a few times since the date three days ago, but I knew that he wasn't right. I could sense that something was up. I wondered if it was something _I _did. Perhaps my reluctance to have sex with him was beginning to get on his nerves and he wanted more. He was male, so I understood that me not putting out in the bedroom could get on his nerves. Men need sex twenty four hours a day, seven days a week! It was just nature.

But I knew that wasn't it, it couldn't be. Edward loved me, and when he found out that I wasn't ready, he was beyond angry with himself for allowing it to go that far. He was willing to wait for me, no matter how long it took for me to gain my confidence and take the plunge. So sex didn't seem to be the problem with him.

But it was after our date that everything changed, it was after our romantic evening together that his distant attitude began, so I couldn't help but feel I had done something to upset him.

Yet every time I asked him, he told me to stop being silly.

"Its not you, Bella," he would say. Or "nothings wrong, I'm fine." Or "just feeling hungry, no biggy." I couldn't get the truth out of him and I was ready to tare my hair out from the stress of it all.

_I could be bald at the end of this. Is that what you want, Edward? A bald girlfriend whose nerves are on the edge? Is it?_

Regardless, something was up, something major.

It was panicking me, not outwardly so much, but inwardly. I wouldn't show my worry to Edward because that would only make him worse, and that was the last thing I needed. But deep inside, my stomach was doing summersaults. I didn't like how he was becoming; I hated how he was acting. I would say something to him and he wouldn't even listen, his mind clearly daydreaming. He would take me somewhere and we'd end up in a completely different place. He was becoming forgetful and quiet. He was never like that around me. Mine and Edward's bodies and minds were so intune with each other that we were always aware of the other, always conscious of where each other was. It did not matter that Edward could not read my mind, he had the ability to do it anyway.

However, if I tried to pull away from him to give him time alone, even for one minute, his grasp and hold would tighten ten-fold. His mind may not be recognizing me, but his body certainly was. He constantly wanted me in his arms, he always found a part of my body to mindlessly kiss, he stayed with me each and every night, holding me as if I would disappear. His body was more aware of me than ever.

That was what was confusing me. He was with me in one way, but he had completely vanished in another.

I spoke to Carlisle about it, questioning whether anything was wrong with the family or if anything had happened to make him this way. He would just shake his head and tell me Edward would say if anything was wrong. It wasn't his place to tell me anything. This just made me a hell of a lot worse!

"It's like he's not even there," I told Heidi on the phone that night. With Edward taking a shower, it gave me the perfect moment to call up my sister and get everything off my chest before I went to sleep. I needed a girlfriend to talk to, and my sister fitted the bill.

"He's just being a typical man," she told me. "There's blatantly something wrong and he refuses to tell you. He'd rather just keep all his emotions bottled up. I don't know why men do that."

"But he usually tells me everything," I explained. "He never keeps anything from me. What do I do?"

I heard her sigh. "You need to be tactful about this, Bells. Be gentle with him. Don't just ask him; slip your worry mildly into conversation. Don't make it obvious that you're onto him."

"I suppose," I said. I had been quiet blunt with my questioning recently. Maybe if I slipped the question into normal conversation, he would think nothing of it and just answer me. There was fat chance of it happening, though. He was a vampire, he picked up on everything. Tricking Edward was like trying to hide your credit card from Alice - not gonna happen! But it was still an idea that I hadn't tried yet, so I would give it a go. It's better than nothing, right? I heard the bathroom door opening and closing and I knew my phone call would have to end.

"I better go," I told my sister. "I'll call you in a few days."

"Okay," she replied. "Good luck and don't take no for an answer. Love you, Bella."

"Love you, too," I replied, hanging up my phone and placing it on my bedside table. I let out a deep breath.

I shouldn't even be in this position. Edward and I should be happy and in love. We should be open and trustworthy of each other. We should be a unit that works and secrets should not be kept. But instead he was holding something from me, being secretive and depressed, and there was fuck all I could do about it.

He entered my room and closed the door behind him, his hair still damp from his shower and his sweat pants and t-shirt giving him a relaxed look. He was perfect, even in clothes that were so simple. He smiled at me as he approached my bed, but I could tell that his eyes and his mind were elsewhere. Over the last few days, I had come to expect this, so I just smiled back, not needing to say a word.

He lay on the bed with me, making sure I was tucked in warmly under the quilt on all sides. He always lay ontop of the quilt as his cold temperature always seeped through whenever he lay underneath. I didn't mind him sleeping under there with me, but after I woke up twice during the night with my lips and teeth chattering, he said he would lie on top of the covers. It was probably best in the long run. Forks was cold enough as it was, lets not add a vampire into the mix!

His arm hung lazily over my waist and he pulled me to him, my back flushed against his chest, his fingers lacing with mine, my body feeling his every movement as he breathed. He buried his face in my hair, kissing along my scalp. I somehow managed to lean over and turn of the lamp that illuminated the room without breaking from his hold. With the room blanketed in darkness, I couldn't see a thing. But with Edward next to me, touching me and holding me, all of my senses were heightened.

He was silent as per usual, but his grasp was tight and strong, never faltering. I was here for the long run.

"You okay, Edward?" I asked him.

"I'm fine," he answered, his fingers unlacing with my own and beginning to run up and down my arm, ghosting over the skin.

"You seem quiet. Are you hungry or something?"

"No."

"Because hunger makes you angry, you know. If you don't get your fill of food, some people can get rather upset and quiet and distant."

My slipping my concern into conversation was completely tactless and very indiscrete, but I had to try something.

_I'd never make it as a spy, never._

"I'm not hungry," he said, his breath tingling along the back of my neck.

"Oh." Then I went silent. He didn't want to talk, this much was obvious, and no matter how much I wanted to get through to him, I didn't exactly want to push him, either. Pushing might make him worse and he could end up distancing himself even more. That was the last thing I wanted. This was bad enough, I'd go mad if it got any worse.

But his downer was making me just as depressed. If Edward's sad, then so am I. If he's angry, then I feel it as well. It's like we are one person, one being, one soul. Everything he feels, I feel. And right now I was feeling sad and just a little angry. _Well two can play at this game. _I ignored him after that. He obviously didn't want to talk to me, so I wouldn't talk to him. I just closed my eyes and willed sleep to come.

But it wouldn't. Not when Edward was giving me sweet little kisses across my neck and behind my ear, my eager body betraying my angry mind. I didn't understand. How could he be so sweet and loving, and then blatantly ignore me? Was he bipolar or something because he was driving me crazy! Sleep eventually did come and, believe me, I couldn't have been happier when it did.

xXx

The rain was pouring down like a waterfall on Thursday morning, so none of us had any option but to stay indoors for the whole day. Alice got bored instantly, which I was hardly surprised about, so I spent most of the day entertaining her as best as I could. Edward was moping about as usual, so I decided to just let him get on with it. I was tired of trying by now. If he didn't want to open up to me, then fine.

After Alice spent the morning playing Bella-Barbie and dressing me in every single outfit that she could find, we went downstairs and made a quick lunch of pasta and sauce. After eating we finally settled down in the living room, resorting to board-games to occupy ourselves. Mousetrap came first, but Alice quickly got bored of that, so Monopoly came next. Alice was very good and within half and hour she owned half the board! Carlisle and Esme were amused by this while Jasper merely cheered her on!

_Hey, I want my own cheering squad!_

Edward entered the room soon after our game began, looking at no one and sitting down silently on the sofa. He flicked through the TV channels, completely in his own world, cutting everyone else off. I let out a sigh. I wish he would just stop this. It was utterly obvious that something was wrong, and the fact that he was denying it was getting me mad! If he wouldn't open up to me, the girl who he apparently loved, then who would he open up to?

Yes, I was beyond mad and angry, but seeing him like he was, was heartbreaking too. I couldn't do anything for him and I felt completely helpless. All I wanted was to see the smile back on his face and the spring back in his step. I wanted my Edward back to normal. But no, he wasn't letting me do that. He wasn't letting me do anything.

It wasn't until Emmett came bounding into the room that I found out why. And, I had to admit, it was the last thing I expected…

"Hello, guys and bitches," he said with a big cheesy grin on his lips. Rosalie immediately smacked him around the back of the head as she followed him into the room.

"No language in front of Alice please, Emmett," Esme said as she flicked through her magazine. I merely smirked. Emmett, Jasper and Edward swore in front of Alice all the time and she never took any notice. She was thick skinned for a 12 year old and, whilst she was still an impressionable child, she never swore herself. It merely rolled off her back.

"Sorry," Emmett apologized, rubbing his head. Rosalie could be a bit rough sometimes. "We just had a phone call, by the way."

"Oh," asked Carlisle curiously. "I didn't hear the phone. Who was it?"

"Eleazar Denali," Emmett replied. "The Denali's said they will be here on Saturday."

Who?

"I see," sighed Carlisle.

"Yeah. Tanya sounded especially excited, Edward, you old dog," Emmett laughed, patting Edward on the back. Edward glared at him, throwing daggers at his brother with his eyes.

My eyebrows furrowed. What did that mean? Who the hell were the Denali's and what did this girl Tanya have to do with Edward? Well, I could guess that they were vampires straight away, who else would visit the Cullens? I just prayed to God that they weren't like our last vampire visitors. Still, after what happened with James, Laurent and Victoria, I knew that the Cullens would not let anything dangerous near me or the pixie for a very long time. I knew these people would be safe, but I wanted to know exactly who they were.

And who the fuck was Tanya, and why was she so excited to meet _my_ vampire? The jealousy was rising within me, and I gritted my teeth as Emmett continued.

"Never knew you had it in you, bro," he said.

"Emmett," said Carlisle. But his tone was deep and angry, almost like he was warning Emmett. The head vampire's eyes shot straight to me, but I couldn't for the life of me understand his look. I swallowed.

"Tanya Denali. She's hot, she'll make a great wife. Bet she's great in bed, too. Has Aro set the wedding date yet?"

I froze.

I stopped breathing as a lump clogged itself in my throat, a strange feeling covering my body, almost like terror and loss. My heart thumped in my chest and it felt as if my whole world was suddenly crashing down around me. Tears started to naturally form in my eyes and I suddenly understood Carlisle's look. I understood it perfectly. My eyes shot to Edward, my vision blurry due to my tears. He finally looked to me, sorrow, desperation, fear and sadness swimming in his golden eyes. I whimpered.

_Oh god…_

It all made sense now. The quietness, the possessiveness, the ignorance. There _was_ something wrong with him, something _very_ wrong with him. He had once told me how the Volturi arranged marriages, but I never thought it would happen to him, never in a million years. Guess I thought wrong. This Tanya Denali, he was going to marry her, whether any of us. or I, liked it or not.

_I've lost him… I've completely lost him…_

I didn't say anything as I stood up and left the room quietly, and nobody said anything to me. I felt his eyes on my back, boring holes into me, but I didn't look back. I didn't dare look back. I continued up the stairs, my chest constricting as I forced the breath out of me.

My whole body ached, my heart became sore as it broke in half, and the lump in my throat refused to move. My hands trembled as I placed them on my door handle and entered my bedroom, closing the door behind me. I barely made it in before I simply collapsed upon my bed, my body racking with sobs and cries, the tears staining my cheeks and my quilt, all my emotions from the last week coming out at once. I knew I was being loud but I didn't care. I wanted them to hear my cries, I wanted _him_ to hear my cries. I wanted them all to know how hurt I was, how sad I was… how utterly broken I was.

This was what had been bothering him since Friday night, this was what was wrong with him all this time. I understood now why he couldn't tell me and I felt sympathy at the position he had been left in. How can someone possibly tell the person that they love that they are marrying another? How could he have possibly said that to me?

But he should have! How could he keep something so big and important from me? This would change both our lives and he had kept me in the dark for almost a week. I thought he loved me and adored me and wanted to share everything with me. he obviously didn't love me enough to tell me about this. How could he?

I loved him… I hated him… I didn't know what to do…

An icy cold hand suddenly lay itself on my shoulder.

I knew it was him straight away. The tingling sensation that covered my skin said everything. Even through the fabric of my shirt I could sense him, like a little radar going off and beeping on high alert. I never realized how intune we both were with eachother until moments like these. Edward could sense me due to his vampiric hearing, anyway. But the fact that I could sense him really showed the depth of our connection.

"Leave me alone please, Edward," I whispered, my voice muffled by the pillow I was hiding in.

"No, I won't," he said clearly. I felt the bed dip beneath me and I knew he was going nowhere.

"Please, just go," I tried again.

"I'm not going anywhere, Love," was his reply. "We need to talk about this."

Love? LOVE? After what had just happened, he thought he had the authority to call me Love? Normally, if ever he called me by that name, it would make my heart thump in excitement and my skin to cover completely in goose bumps. But now it just felt like he was laughing at me.

"Talk? You wanna talk? You sure as hell didn't want to talk before!" I shot back, lifting my head up and looking at him properly, standing up from the bed, my anger apparent. I swear I could see my tear stained face reflected in his shining eyes. His golden orbs looked so sad and defeated by the whole situation, but I didn't care. I felt worse.

"Bella, please-" he began as he stood up with me, but I cut him off.

"You're getting fucking married, Edward! You are marrying a woman who isn't me. You have kept this from me for a whole fucking week. You ignored me every time that I tried to help you, and now you want to talk?" I was bordering on hysterical, but I thought my reaction was perfectly justified.

"I know," he sighed, running his hands through his hair. "Calm down so we can-"

"CALM DOWN? Oh, believe me, I am far from calming down. I'm ready to rip your fucking head off!"

He seemed to get angry then, his eyes turning black. "You think I wanted this to happen? You think I want to marry a woman who I don't love and want fuck all to do with? You think I want this?"

"You could have told me! But no, you want to keep it a secret and watch me find out the hard way. Is that it, Edward? Do you want me to wait and then suffer? Did you want to drag this out and watch me crumble to pieces?" I approached him and hit him after each sentence. I punched his chest after each time I spoke, putting as much force behind my punches as I could.

"Of course I don't!" he shouted as if my words were the stupidest thing in the world. "I am in love with you, I'd never want you to suffer."

"But look at me," I said through the tears. "Look at what's happening to me. I'm suffering, Edward. I'm hurting. If you had just told me from the start, we could have worked through this. We could have made the blow a lot less painful. If you have to do your duty as a vampire, then do it. Just don't keep trying to break my heart in the process because, believe me, you've already done that!"

"I'm sorry," he whispered, looking at me deeply, his whole being defeated. "I'm so sorry…"

"You're getting married, Edward," I whimpered, my anger dissipating into sadness and pain as my strength vanished. My body just could not take the anger anymore. "To someone else. You're getting married… You're getting married…"

The tears streamed down my face in nonstop waterfalls, with no hope of letting up anytime soon. I could feel my heart ripping apart, and it was killing me.

He approached me then, his arms open, ready to hold me as the sobs racked my body. I took a step back, pushing him away from me. I couldn't let him, not now, not after what had been said, but he tried again and this time I did let him. I couldn't help but let him. His body called to mine, just like it always had, and my own body responded. I collapsed into him as he wrapped me in his arms, tight and safe. I buried my face into his chest, fisting his shirt in my hands, grasping onto any part of him I could. He had never held me so tightly and warmly as he was now, almost too afraid to let me go.

I loved him so much that sometimes it physically hurt. Every single part of me belonged to him, my mind, my body, my soul, my heart. I really thought that he would be the one who I'd be with for the rest of my life. I still wanted him to be that, I always would want him to be that… but now that could never happen.

He'd never hold me again at night.

He'd never kiss my lips again.

He'd never be the man to make love to me for the first time.

He'd never be able to love me again…

The cries left my mouth so fast that I was struggling to breathe, struggling to stand, but Edward's arms kept me up. He kissed my cheeks, my nose, my forehead, my eyes, all my tears, my lips. But after today, none of it would mean anything.

Even though his tears could not leave his eyes, I felt the sobs as his body shook. I felt the struggle and the anger over the situation as his fingers and arms gripped me more tightly. I felt his heartbreaking, just like mine, with every kiss he gave.

But he had to do this. Regardless of how much I moaned and protested over it, the marriage had to be done. The Volturi were not to be messed with. After the conversation Edward had had with me over them, I had feared them up to this very second, and I still did. What they say, goes, no matter how you feel about it. To deny the Volturi would be instantly accepting death and punishment. You just didn't do it. It was Edward's duty to fulfill Aro's wishes.

So if the Volturi wanted him married, he'd have to do it. I just didn't get why it had to be Edward.

"I love you," he whispered, repeating it over and over like some sort of mantra. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," I replied in earnest, needing him to know that I wasn't truly angry with him. "I love you, Edward, no matter how much this is hurting."

He pulled away from me then, looking down at me. "Then… then I won't do it. I'll tell Aro that I refuse to marry Tanya Denali. I'll tell him no. Then me and you, we could run away or something. Make a life together elsewhere. It doesn't matter where we go as long as-"

I placed a finger to his lips, silencing him. A sad half-smile formed on my lips. "You know we can't do that," I said. "He'd find us, you know that as well as I do. And then things would be even worse than they are." He pulled my hand from his lips and kissed my palm as I continued. "It's your duty to answer Aro's wishes, Edward, and I respect that. I hate it, God, how I really do hate it, but I accept it."

"I hate it too," he whispered as he closed his eyes. "So much. I fucking hate what the Volturi has done to us."

"But we had a good run, right?" I tried. "The weeks we were together were the greatest of my life."

"Mine too," he said, a smile finally gracing his lips.

"And… And we can still be friends, I suppose. Just because we aren't together anymore doesn't mean we can't still be in each other's lives. If friendship is the only thing we're allowed, then I want to take it."

"I'd like that," he said.

"Good," I answered, essentially ending the conversation. "Good."

We were silent then, content in just holding each other for the last time before it would have to end forever. I'd miss him, totally and utterly. Friends was good, but it wasn't what I wanted. I wanted him, wholly and fully. I didn't want the second best option, or the third or fourth. I wanted the best, I wanted us to be together till the end of our days. But I couldn't have that, could I?

The Volturi would not let it.

"Edward," came Carlisle's voice from the bottom of the stairs. "I need to speak with you. We need to reply to Aro's letter."

I felt Edward's chest rumble and shake as a growl left his body at the sound of that name. I felt his anger, I hated the bastard just as much. Reluctantly, he pulled away from me. He lifted my chin with his finger so that I could see into his eyes. They were gold again, just how I liked them. He caressed my face with his fingertips, his eyes scanning each contour of my face. I blushed as he pressed his forehead to mine.

"Go," I said, putting on the best smile I could muster. "You have a wedding to organize."

I felt his wince. "Don't say that," he begged.

"But it's true," I replied. "You're getting married and you need to discuss the details. You should go."

He suddenly lowered his lips to mine, kissing me gently and tenderly for one last time. I felt my salty tears on our lips as they continued to fall, making this whole situation seem all that more real. This kiss was sweet and loving, telling me his feelings for one last time. There could never be any from now on. As soon as he left my room, Edward and Bella would be no more. We'd be friends and that was it. I'd never be allowed to love him again…

He finally pulled away, a sob leaving his lips as he did. He let me go then, taking a step back and just looking at me, his eyes glistening. And then he was gone, leaving me in an empty room, leaving me totally alone, giving me the rest of forever to cry my heart out.


	22. Need

_Howdy._

_A huge thanks to Ephany, yebabb79, sujari6, Lainey6714, mommymac0508, chritbella, RobSten4ever, mixmatched9, Coleen561 and pac1025 for their reviews. Thank you!_

_I loved the response to the last chapter, you all went crazy! I never knew that it would affect you all so much. I am sorry for making the story this way, but this is how it has to be for the story to go as planned. All will be fixed and come together soon. All I'm saying is whilst this is a very angst story, it is a romance too. Just relax, wait, and see._

_Not sure how you're all going to react to this chapter either, but this is who Bella feels she must turn to. It's what she feels is best. Again, relax, wait, and see. All will come together._

_I finally have Eclipse on DVD, too. So excited! I shall be watching it tonight and drooling over Edward and Jasper like a total freak..._

_This chapter is named after "Need" by Hannah Pestle. I really recommend listening to this song. It is so beautiful and sad that it really tugs at the heartstrings, and the lyrics perfectly fit how Bella feels throughout this chapter. Please go listen to it, you won't be disappointed._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I don't own a car, either, but no one seems to have a problem with that, do they?_

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

I was tired of crying.

My face was becoming damp and blotchy, my head was pounding from all the sobbing I was doing, my eyes felt dry and were beginning to sting and, if I'm honest, crying wasn't going to get me anywhere. It was a pointless thing to do because no matter how many tears fell, it wouldn't change a single thing. He'd gone, left me to marry that bitch, Tanya, and crying wasn't going to bring him back.

I knew it wasn't fair to call this Tanya Denali girl a bitch; it wasn't her fault that the Volturi had arranged this marriage. But how else can you feel towards the woman who has stolen the man you love, regardless of whether she is to blame or not? He was running to her, he was going to be with her, he had left me to be with her, so in my head she had stolen him from me. The bottom line was that he had left me, and it was Tanya who he was going to marry. So in my head, she was a complete and utter bitch, and I hated her. I beyond hated her, I loathed her. But, like I said, these three hours of crying none-stop were never going to bring him back to me. I had to accept he was gone now and, no matter how hard it would be, I needed to move on.

_Easier said than done…_

I had no idea how I was going to do it. How do you move on from the only man you've ever given your heart to? How do you get over the only person you have ever genuinely loved above all others? How do you recover from losing the one thing in your life that kept you alive and fighting? He was all those things and more to me; I'd never recover. I didn't have the strength or the will to recover... or survive.

My heart hurt; my stomach hurt; my head hurt; I felt like my chest had been ripped wide open; my entire being felt weak and useless, almost like a vital part of me had disappeared, the part that kept me alive and functioning. I wasn't a full person anymore; at least I didn't feel like one. Instead, I just felt like a shadow, like I wasn't real or actually there. I felt lost and lonely, like I had no where to go. To the outside world, I was just your average 20 year old girl, nothing wrong at all. But inside, a black hole had formed, sweeping every good and happy part of me away with it, leaving me for dead. I no longer felt like Bella anymore. I now felt like I simply existed.

_Another one bites the dust, huh?_

Why? Why did everyone around me have to keep disappearing, leaving me totally alone in such an immense and indescribable amount of pain? Did the world hate me or something? Was God up there in heaven, looking down on me, pointing and laughing as yet another person abandons me? That's what it felt like.

First, my mother leaves me. I was only 11 when it happened, but it impacted the rest of my life. To lose your mother at such a young age was enough to send anyone off the rails, but I was lucky to have two sisters and a father to keep me grounded. My mother died, but at least we got Jane before she did. She may have died in child birth, but getting a little sister had to mean that it wasn't all for nothing, right? She had still left me, though.

And then, only a few weeks ago, Charlie had to bail on me too, his pneumonia finally getting the better of him, my only surviving parent dying and leaving me. Charlie's death had hurt badly, too badly. I mean, my mother's death was horrifying, but Charlie had raised me since she had left us. He had been mother and father to the three of us; no easy feat when your raising three girls! But he did a great job and I wouldn't have got through my life without Charlie. Didn't matter though. He was gone as well, and I was left completely alone.

But I wasn't, not with Edward by my side, taking care of me and loving me. He was always there for me, my constant companion who made me feel alive again. He was like an unbelievably bright light at the end of the very dark tunnel that was my life. I knew I'd struck gold with Edward because he was perfect in every way - funny, sweet, sensitive, sympathetic, fun-loving, lively, drop-dead-gorgeous… and mine.

_Not anymore…_

The one thing that was giving me the will to hang on had gone too. I never thought he'd leave me, not in a million years. I thought what we had was one of those relationships that was real and lasted forever. I always found it cheesy when people would say that they and their partner were addicted to each other, that they were the only thing keeping each other alive, that they were inseparable and so ridiculously in love that sometimes it hurt. Yeah, it may be cheesy, but that was Edward and I in a nutshell. Our relationship bordered on obsession. At least it did for me.

He was my everything. My life, my soul, my heart, my Edward. I needed him so much, and he'd always been there, running to help me and sooth me and love me. He was perfection and I wondered how I got so lucky. Surely, someone like him could not want me; surely, this had to be a dream.

I guess now that it was.

He'd never hold me in his protective arms again. He'd never lie in my bed, keeping me company on the long nights with just his presence. I'd never feel his soft and mesmerizing lips caress my own again, sweeping me up in his love and adoration. And he'd never make love to me, not now he had a wife to do that with. I had wanted him to be my first, I'd wanted it so badly. Who is more perfect to take your virginity than the man you consider your soul mate? I wanted it to be him, but now it never would.

I cast my mind back to all those happy times we had spent together. Learning to play the piano, rides in his car, the charity ball where he danced with me and took care of me long into the night. I remembered the morning he had admitted his feelings to me and how alive and on fire I felt. I had been completed that morning and it was all because of him. I remembered our trip to the meadow and how he picked me flowers and kissed me so sweetly. I remembered our date, where he had wined and dinned me, just like he promised he would, paying for everything and treating me like a princess. Finally, I remembered each and every moment we had been intimate, every kiss, every caress, every moan, every gasp. Each moment had been special, magical, dreamlike even. I loved them all. But all of it was just a memory now, something to treasure and keep, never to happen again. I let out a strangled sob.

I felt broken, completely and utterly broken.

The rain pelted down outside, lashing against my window. I supposed the weather was ironic really. It matched my tears, the drops of rain cascading down my window like the tears fell down my cheeks.

But no. I wasn't going to cry anymore, was I? I was tired of the crying and I knew I was stronger than this. I needed to pick myself up and get my life back on track. Edward had gone, I had to adapt my life to this fact whether I liked it or not... But like I said before, that's a hell of a lot easier said than done. He was gone, my Edward was gone, and I was all alone…

Only one person could fix my broken heart, and he had broken it in the first place.

The tears started again.

I couldn't do this, not alone. I could not bear to be alone, my memories being my only company, memories of me and him. I needed someone, anyone, just someone to provide at least half the comfort Edward always offered me and take my mind off everything. I was afraid and scared, my emotions everywhere and my mind reeling. I needed someone to help me. I needed someone to numb the pain and make it stop, even just for a few seconds. What I really needed was my vampire, but that was never going to happen. I needed someone else.

Alice was too young to understand. Esme was too much like _him_, her cold skin would feel exactly the same. Heidi was too far away, back in sunny Phoenix. No one was here for me. No one at all.

And then it hit me, a faint spark lighting up in my gloomy brain. I did have a friend, didn't I? All those other people might not be here… but Jacob was. Sure, we had fought before, and we had never truly made up after our argument a few days previous, but he was still my best friend and I needed him now more than ever.

I sat up and reached for my phone, quickly finding his number in my contacts list and ringing him immediately. Today was his day off, but I prayed with all my heart that he would answer and come over. The weather was enough to put anyone off coming, but I needed him and I hoped he would be here for me. Our argument still hadn't been settled, and there was still a bad air between us, but I hoped he wouldn't ignore the call once he saw my number phoning him. My tears fell from my face onto the phone's screen, but I quickly brushed them away and pressed the call button.

_Answer… please answer…_

My silent pleas sounded childish and pathetic, but I didn't think I could bear another person abandoning me. I just needed him to pick up. He answered on the fourth ring.

"Hello?" he said in a monotone voice, and I knew straight away that he didn't want to talk. He must still be pissed off with the way I spoke to him, but I didn't care. I needed him.

"J-Jake?" I bit out through my tears.

His tone changed instantly. "Bells? Bella what's wrong? Are you okay?"

He was full of concern and worry, his whole attitude morphing from what it was before. He was being a friend again. My spirits rose if only a little. I knew I could always rely on Jacob. He wasn't my big ray of sunshine for nothing.

"I just… I'm… It's… Do y-you thing you c-c-could come over?" I tried through my sobs.

"What's he done to you, Bells?" he questioned me then, but I wasn't surprised that he already knew the reason for my tears. Apart from Edward and my sisters, Jacob knew me better than any other person on this planet. Edward was the reason for our argument in the first place, so of course he would know the problem. I was silent on the line for a while, too scared to say anything and tell him that he had been right all along about Edward. I still didn't believe Jacob's words about how terrible Edward was, but a small part of me had to wonder. He had left me for another woman after all.

"Bella?" Jacob tried when my silence began to go on and on.

"Can you just come over?" I whispered.

"I'll be there in ten minutes," he said before he put the phone down and the line went dead. I let out a breath and wiped away my tears.

He was coming, he was actually coming! Regardless of what had happened between us in the past, Jacob was coming to see me. And I knew in that moment that our argument had been forgotten. Sure, best friends always fight, but in the end they always run back to each other, providing someone to speak to and a shoulder to cry on. Well I wanted Jacob's shoulder, both of them if he was willing, and Jacob was happily providing that.

I stood up and paced my room until he showed up. Yes, he was there to calm me down and make me feel better, but that didn't mean I wanted him to see me like a hysterical freak who can't stop crying and whose head is pounding. I needed to get a grip on myself and show some strength. But I couldn't. No matter how much I tried, I simply couldn't. I took deep breaths, I closed my eyes and pictured calming thoughts, I clapped my hands as a way to distract myself. None of it worked. The emotions were still raw, my chest still hurt, and Edward was still gone.

A knocking on the front door brought a little hope into my heart. I heard someone open it.

"Jake?" asked a fairly surprised sounding Rosalie.

"Where's Bella?" was all he said.

"I think she's in her room. Why?"

I heard no conversation after that. All I heard were footsteps marching up the stairs and down the hallway to my room, echoing throughout my melancholy silence. A knock on my door only confirmed that Jacob had found the right place and I rushed to it immediately, swinging it open. He didn't even give me time to think or register his presence at my door. He just scooped me up and held me to his chest, Hugging me tightly, kicking the door shut and escorting me to the bed. He sat down with my body curled up in his lap. Nothing could stop the tears now.

"God, Bells, what happened?" he asked.

"It hurts," I wailed. "It hurts s-so much!"

"It's okay," he said, rocking me back and forth. "I'm here, Bells. It's alright now."

My tears were soaking his shirt, but he didn't seem to mind, he just squeezed me tighter. He was providing me with the comfort I needed, offering me somewhere to cry and someone to talk to. Jacob was being the best friend that I needed and I couldn't have been more grateful.

I don't know how long I sat there crying, but Jacob didn't ask me anything. He just continued to lull and sooth me, allowing me to speak only when I was ready. My head began to pound ten-fold, and when all my tears had run dry, I finally lifted my head up to speak to him.

"He's l-left me, Jake," I cried, my bottom lip quivering. "He's ended it all."

Jacob blinked as he thought about my words, but he didn't say anything. I saw his jaw tighten, but that was it. I was grateful that Jacob didn't give the I-told-you-so speech. I think I would have completely died if he had. I was hurting enough as it was, the last thing I needed was Jacob rubbing it in my face that he had been right all along. Edward was no good for me. My reaction over his disappearance in my life only confirmed that.

But I still refused to believe it. How can the one person I love above any other be bad for me? How can my soul mate be ill for me? He couldn't and he would never be. He'd hurt me above anyone else in this world had, but I still loved him, I still yearned for him. Edward was my life, whether he was in it or not.

I just didn't want it to hurt so much.

Jacob kissed the top of my head before resting his cheek upon it, rubbing my back slowly. "Why?" he finally asked and I knew he was trying to keep his anger at bay. I felt his jaw tightening even more on top of my head.

"He's m-marrying someone else," I began, closing my eyes to cut off the stinging of my tears. "He's left me for another woman."

He suddenly stiffened. "I'll fucking kill him," I heard him whisper, his tone laced with venom. My eyes opened wide in fear and I pulled back to look Jacob in the face.

"Don't say that. It's not his fault. It's an arranged marriage, he can't help it."

"I don't care," said Jacob angrily, raising his voice. "Look at what he's done to you. If he loved you as much as he says he does he wouldn't do this, he'd fight the marriage, son of a bitch."

"You don't understand," I said. "He can't. They wouldn't allow it. It has to happen." My words were true enough, despite whether Jake knew their meaning. The Volturi would destroy Edward for saying no to the marriage, and the Cullen's and Denali's would all probably follow, but Jacob didn't seem to accept this.

"It shouldn't matter," he said, standing up and pacing in front of me, tugging on his dark hair. "He shouldn't do anything that leaves you in this state. Look at what he's done to you, Bella."

I looked over at myself in my mirror as he said those words, and I had to agree with him. I looked awful. My face was bright red and shining with my drying tears. My eyes were swollen and bloodshot, and bits of hair stuck to my face like glue. I looked a mess, and it was all because of Edward.

"But I can't be angry at him," I whimpered, though it was more to myself. "I still love him."

"Oh, Bells," Jacob said before approaching me and wrapping me in his large arms, pulling me against him and holding me tightly. I buried my face in his chest, needing his comfort now more than ever. Why did I have to love the man who had quite blatantly broken my heart into a thousand tiny pieces? Why did I have to keep torturing myself this way? Was I masochistic or something? This couldn't be good for me.

The best option would be to forget all about him, let my love for him fizzle away and just be friends with him like we had discussed. I needed to get over him, I needed to recover and stop loving Edward Cullen.

But I couldn't… because I loved him so fucking much. I was addicted to him, obsessed with him. I can't turn my feelings off like a light switch. It could take all my life to get over him… but I had to try. I had to forget all about him and move on. It would be hard and long and painful, but I had to do it, otherwise I'd spend the rest of my life in misery and hurt, never fully recovering.

It was just a shame I had to love him so much.

I vaguely heard Jacob whispering in my ear as my musings drew to an end.

"… for you, okay, Bells?"

"Huh?" I said, looking up at him.

"I said, I'm here for you, Bells. Whenever you need me, I'll be here for you. I promise."

His words were so sincere and kind that I hugged him again, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing his cheek.

"Thank you," I whispered as he squeezed me tightly.

He was right. He would be here for me. My best friend would be at my side whenever I needed him. All I had to do was call and he'd come running. Jacob really was my own personal sunshine, someone to keep me grounded and safe and warm, just like a best friend should. I was quite lucky to have Jacob here with me, really. After our argument the other day when we had walked out on each other, he could have just turned around and told me to get lost when I phoned him. I wouldn't have been surprised if he had. He may have been a bit of a bastard towards me, but I had been a complete bitch to him, too. I even wondered if I had a friend to phone.

I knew I did. No matter how much we argued, I knew he'd come to me and help me. An argument is nothing if you have a friend in need. It becomes forgotten, something of the past. The present is what matters, and Jacob knew this. He was always so sweet and warm that I can't believe I ever doubted him.

That's when I noticed how warm he really was.

"Jacob, you're really hot," I whispered in his ear, pulling back and looking at him with a look of confusion.

He smirked as he looked at me and cocked an eyebrow. "Really?"

"I don't mean like that. I mean, you feel warm, really warm. Are you burning up or coming down with something?" I asked, raising my hand to feel his forehead. His temperature was sky-high, almost like he was on fire. I'd never felt anything like it before, surely it couldn't be healthy. I mean, I knew he was my big ray of warm sunshine, but this was ridiculous!

"No," he said uncomfortably. "I'm fine, just feeling warm. It's probably the adrenaline rush and everything from driving over here. Anyway, you're the one we have to worry about."

I nodded, amused at how the concern had switched from me to him in one quick second. But his temperature still bothered me. Obviously he didn't want to discuss it right now; he was to concerned for me. So I let the sunject go, mentally noting to ask him about it again next time.

"Look," he said. "Lets just get out of here for a few hours. You need to get away from this house for a while." He smiled then, a big toothy smile. "Let's go grab some food. You hungry for Chinese?"

I giggled, the noise surprising me a little after all the sobbing I had done today. It sounded and felt so foreign, but I liked it. I nodded and took Jacob's hand as we made our way down the stairs, through the front door, out into the rain and finally Jacob's car. Rosalie said nothing to us as we walked through the main foyer, but after what I had experienced, she knew to keep her mouth shut. I was thankful for her silence. Once I was buckled up and ready to go, Jacob pulled his truck down the drive and onto the road, heading towards the restaurant.

We were silent, but the atmosphere was warm and calm, neither of us needing to speak. Jacob merely being there was enough for me.

"Dinner is on me, by the way," he quickly piped up. "My treat."

I giggled again. "Anything you say, Jake."

This was nice, this was good. I was smiling again and giggling, something I didn't think I'd be able to do for the rest of my life. I figured that I'd be in eternal mourning for Edward, and I secretly was, but I wasn't going to show it. Not in front of Jacob, anyway. He was doing his very best to make me happy again and keep the smile on my face, so I was going to let him. I refused to let him see the hurt and pain I was feeling in my heart and mind. I'd only smile for him now.

And who knew? Perhaps Jacob could help me recover after all.

* * *

_I'm on Twitter, too, if anyone is interested. I'm rachydoodle03 :) _


	23. Hungry like a wolf

_Howdy!_

_A huge thanks to mommymac0508, mixmatched9, KerriCullen, sujari6, sammy, Coleen561, Cina's, yebabb79, WeFallForever and teamedwardtwilightfan for their reviews. Thank you!_

_Sorry this chapter is out so late. I had my wisdom teeth out on Friday and I've been in pain for days. The worst experience of my life. I was awake for the whole thing and it killed. Never again! But the chapter is here now and that's all that matters._

_Also, just to let you know, updates for this story might be a little slower after Christmas as I plan to begin my newest story, 'Heavy In Your Arms'. Since I plan to write both stories at the same time, I won't be getting chapters out as quickly and so they might be out either every week or every fortnight. It totally depends on how much writing I get done. If you are interested in my new story, keep your eyes peeled. It will be up in the next week or so._

_This chapter is named after "Hungry like a wolf" by Duran Duran. Bit of 80s there for ya!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I no longer own half my wisdom teeth either!_

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

The Denali's came on Saturday.

I watched their large silver Mercedes pull up on the front drive, Esme and Carlisle rushing out to greet them the second they arrived. I didn't go down to them; I watched the warm welcoming unfold from the secure warmth of my bedroom, staying out the way as much as possible. I much preferred it up here, away from the all the drama and the hate. Alice, bless her cotton socks, stood her ground and stayed with me, holding my hand the whole time.

"They think they're so rich with their Mercedes, well Daddy's is worth twice as much," she said in utter disgust as we both gazed out of my bedroom window. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her words.

Alice had made it quite clear that she was angered over this arranged marriage, her crazy hissy fits only confirming this. The little pixie even smashed a vase to pieces in anger, throwing it at the wall and screaming how stupid they all were for letting this happen. Esme grounded her for the evening for that one. But it seemed she hated Tanya just as much as I did. They all did - Jasper, Rose, even Emmett. But it was Alice who hated her most of all. She had been moaning and whining all day yesterday about how upset she was over the whole thing, but nothing could be done. Tanya Denali was marrying Edward whether we liked it or not. The Volturi had ordered this marriage; it would happen.

They all got out of the car one by one, all kisses and hugs and smiles, not a care in the world for how the little ex-girlfriend felt.

_Bastards…_

"There, that's her," said Alice as she pointed below. Out of the car stepped a woman, probably just as tall as I was. Her strawberry blond hair flowed beautifully down her back as her slim and perfect figure approached Carlisle and Esme. I wouldn't say she was as stunning as Rosalie was, but the woman was hot, even I had to admit that.

I could clearly see now why Edward would choose her over me.

"Ugh, she's horrible," scoffed Alice. "So ugly and fake. You're much prettier, Bella."

I smiled to myself. "Thank you, Alice," I said.

After the sickly meet-and-greet was over, they all entered the house, chattering away without a care in the world. Their voices echoed down the hallway, cheery and joyful and full of laughter. Alice was just about to scream at them all to shut up when Esme called us all down to greet our guests. I swallowed back the hatred in my heart as Alice and I reluctantly made our way downstairs. Neither of us wanted to do this, but it was rude not to say hello.

_Well they stole your boyfriend. Doesn't that count as rude, too?_

Damn, my subconscious was right. But I couldn't dwell on that now. I had to pretend that I was glad to see Tanya Denali, no matter how sick it would make me. God, if I thought she was pretty from a distance, then she was downright perfect close up. Pale flawless skin, all her features in proportion, large golden eyes glistening in the light, full pink lips, perfect cheekbones. It hurt to look at her!

_God, I hate pretty vampires sometimes!_

We all said our hellos and shook hands, being as polite and as civil as possible. Well, all of us apart from Alice. She merely snorted at our guest's advances and stuck her nose up in the air. It was at times like this that I adored the pixie.

Edward finally appeared, his face blank and his mouth tightly shut. I could see from the look in his eyes that he hated this just as much as I did. But whilst my heart broke for the position he was in, I couldn't help but feel betrayed as he approached his future wife. She shouldn't be here at all. It should be Edward and Bella, not Edward and bloody Tanya! This was all wrong, so so wrong.

"Eddie!" Tanya screamed when she spotted him, running over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug.

I gritted my teeth and fisted my hands, trying my hardest to calm the jealousy down. If I had my way, I'd rip her grubby paws from my man right now, and give her a left hook right in the kisser. But this couldn't happen for two reasons. Firstly, she was a vampire and I'd probably break my hand on her skin, and secondly, this was how it had to be. She was the one marrying him, now, they were a couple. This sort of affection was allowed between them.

_So? Doesn't mean I have to like it! Just let me hit the bitch, just once…_

I stopped my subconscious in her tracks. Violence would get us nowhere. It would only make us worse.

But the second she started kissing his cheeks and running her hands through his hair, my fists were ready and raring to go. Only Rosalie pulling me back and out of the room stopped me from hitting the whore straight in the nose. She took me into the dining room and sat me on a chair, placing her hands on my shoulders so I couldn't get up again.

"Rosalie," I warned her as my subconscious began putting her boxing gloves on.

"Bella, you need to calm down. She's not worth it," Rosalie said. I knew she was trying her hardest to be the voice of reason, and I respected her for that, but I didn't want reason, I wanted Tanya with a fist shaped black eye.

"Rose, she has her grubby paws all over my man. How would you react if it was Emmett?" I tried.

"Probably the same as you," she answered. "But you have to remember that you agreed to this, Bella."

"I didn't agree to anything," I argued. "He did."

"But you agreed to accept it," she said.

_Oh…_

I was at a loss for words then. She was right. I didn't like this but I had agreed to accept this arrangement. It wasn't ideal for any of us, but it was happening regardless. I couldn't just go in there and beat the shit out of her for merely hugging in her fiancée.

_Doesn't mean I don't want to._

My subconscious was sulking as she took off her boxing gloves and hung them back up. She was gunning for a fight and, if I had it my way, she'd have one! But Rosalie's words made sense. Going in there and throwing my fists everywhere was going to solve anything. It would just make matters worse. Argh! I hated all this! Why me? Why? My head started to pound the more I thought about it. Stress was not good for me right now, I had enough on my plate as it was.

"I need to get out of here," I said. "I need to clear my head and just walk for a while."

Rosalie's grip on my shoulders lessened. "You sure you want to do that?"

I nodded. "I've got a lot on my mind, Rose, and the fresh air might do me good. Jake is popping by to see me this afternoon, so I won't be gone too long."

"Okay," she smiled as she finally allowed me to stand. "Just take care of yourself, and ring if you need me."

"Promise," I said as I ran back into the foyer to grab my coat. Thankfully, the sickly meet-and-greet party had moved into the living room, so I was able to leave without throwing my breakfast up first. I slipped on my coat, put my shoes on and left the house, heading for the woods and some much needed solitude.

Forks was cloudy and little chilly today, but the rain managed to stay off to keep me dry. The last thing I needed on top of today was to get home soaked to the bone and a cold to match. That really would have been rubbing salt into the wound. So I was glad that the weather had at least laid off for today. The wind blew my hair around my face a little, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. Rather be out here in the cold than in there with the happy couple.

_The happy couple…_

Ha! It was laughable. The happy and in love couple who would marry and live the rest of their lives in complete contentment and joy. It would never work! You can't force love on people, it just doesn't happen. If two people love one another, they will come together naturally, just like Edward and I did. You can't make them love each other, that will only lead to hate, and hate will lead to problems.

I just didn't get what the Volturi were playing at. Why this whole arranged marriage? Why now? Why Edward? It was all so confusing. Edward had specifically said that Aro looked favourably on the Cullens due to his friendship with Carlisle, but throwing Edward into a relationship that he didn't want was hardly favourable behaviour.

_Bloody vampires! I just can't fathom them…_

And I couldn't. They were nothing but confusing, the whole bloody lot of them! Some were lovely, like the Cullens. Some wanted me dead and buried, just like James. And some appear nice but then do a total u-turn, just like the Volturi. I'd never understand them. Never.

Why couldn't they be like… like… like Jake? Honest, friendly, polite, generous, understandable! I knew where I stood with Jacob. He was my best friend, and when I needed him he would come running. I could rely on him, no matter what the situation was and, even though we had our fights, we always stuck together, because that's what you do with someone you care about. You stick with them and not leave them for some six foot blond with perky breasts and a slim figure.

I sighed.

Of course he's with her. It's not a difficult choice, really. Good-looking blond or plain-Jane brunette? It's hardly a head-scratching situation. Maybe Edward didn't want to marry her, but his life wouldn't be hell because of it, not if he's tapping that every night. It could have been a hell of a lot worse for him. But me… well, I end up single, lonely and feeling like garbage. Having your soul mate dump you for a girl ten times prettier is hardly confidence boosting.

But it was the truth, it had happened, and I had to live with it. Life sucked, but I had no other choice than to make my way through it regardless.

So, to make it worse, cue my clumsy body to fall flat on its face!

I screamed as I hit the ground, my foot still tangled in the fallen branch I had somehow managed to trip over. A sharp pain shot through my ankle and I instantly knew I'd twisted it. I sat up and lifted the leg of my jeans to get a better look. Not only did it seem swollen, but a long bleeding gash ran along my leg, the blood slowly dripping down onto my sock.

_Oh, great!_

I tried moving my ankle and winced as the pain got worse, throbbing throughout my whole leg. It was definitely sprained. The tears welled up in my eyes but I refused to let them fall. I was hurting, but crying wouldn't help. I was stronger than this, I wasn't a 5 year old child who cries because she's fallen over. I had to figure a way out of this. I was clearly injured, so I needed to get home to ask Carlisle for his help. I wouldn't be able to walk, so I needed assistance.

I removed my cell phone from my pocket, ready to ring Rosalie to bring me home… when I spotted _it_. I gasped as my phone slipped from my fingers, my eyes widening in shock, confusion… and fear.

Where it had come from, I did not know, but it had managed to sneak up on me without a single noise. There, standing before me, tall and strong, demanding and scary, stood what I could only describe as a wolf. It stood proudly on tall and powerful legs, its body covered in brown fur, breath leaving its heavily panting nostrils. Its dark eyes were looking right at me.

I panicked as my breathing became labored and quick. What the fuck was a wolf doing in Forks? My chest heaved as I began to wimp in utter terror. Why would a wolf be here? And why did it look so menacing and hungry? It took one small step towards me and grunted, making me jump. I let out a strangled scream, the sound echoing throughout the woods. It wasn't enough to stop it, it continued its approach.

I tried to scurry backwards to get as much distance between myself and the creature as possible, but I couldn't. My foot was trapped and my leg was bloody and sore. I couldn't move, even if I was dying to. I was trapped, there was nowhere to go, and the largest wolf I had ever seen was heading towards me, its teeth bared.

And then it stopped, right when my breathing did. Its head shot to the left, obviously spotting something, then it darted, leaving only a trail of leaves in its wake. I just sat there, breathing in relief, letting tears fall down my cheeks as I did.

I was safe. Oh, god, I was safe. It had gone, left, ran away, and it hadn't touched me. The only damage was done by myself, by my clumsiness. I was fine and the wolf had done no harm. My big question, however, was why there was a wolf here in the first place.

"BELLA?" I heard someone yell though the trees and I immediately knew who the voice belonged to. How could I not? He may belong to Tanya now, but Edward had belonged to me, once. I knew his voice like the back of my hand.

"Edward?" I asked when he finally came into sight. I was surprised to see him considering he was supposed to be entertaining our guests, but I was sure glad that he was here.

"What are you doing out here? A few of us went hunting and I heard your scream," he said. But then he looked down at my trapped ankle and leg and his whole body changed. "Shit, what happened, Bells?" he asked as he approached me, suddenly recoiling a little when he smelt the blood. I gulped. I had forgotten about that, about how much it would affect him. But he gritted his teeth and approached me anyway, slowly and surely.

"There was… jeez… it was a wolf… like, a huge wolf… Edward it…" I stuttered but I couldn't get my words out. I wasn't quite sure what I had just seen. It may have been my crazy-ass mind playing me up due to all my stress, but then again it could have been an actual real-life wolf, right here in the middle of Forks.

_Yeah, so excuse me for stuttering!_

"Calm down," he said as he crouched down at my side. "Take a deep breath and start again."

"I saw a wolf," I said slowly, realizing how truly insane I sounded.

"A wolf?"

"Yes, a huge wolf. It was brown and furry and… well, a wolf!"

He contemplated my words for a few moments before he lifted his hand to my forehead, feeling my temperature. He was making sure to see if I wasn't ill… He didn't believe me!

"Don't patronise me, Edward," I said as I batted his hand away.

"I'm not," he said, putting his hand back on my forehead. "I believe you, but you have a huge gash on your leg and you look terrified. I'm making sure you're not getting a temperature."

"Oh," I said, lowering my eyes.

Edward merely chuckled and the delightful sound made me smile at my stupidity. It always had made me smile. It was my most favorite sound in the world, after all "So what happened? I'm sure this cut didn't put itself there."

"I tripped," I blushed.

Edward smiled. "You always were a clumsy one."

"Hey, don't rub it in."

"Sorry," he said. "But I'm going to need a better look at your cut." He began to lift the leg of my jeans when I stopped him.

"But… the blood. Won't you… you know."

"You're hurt, Bella. I need to make sure you're alright. I can sit though the blood."

I hesitated. "Okay. If you're sure."

So he continued. He lifted my jeans until my leg was exposed and, I had to admit, it felt damn good to have his skin on mine again. It felt like old times, times when we had been more... intimate.

"There's dirt in the cut, it might get infected," he told me.

"How do you know?" I questioned.

"Carlisle has taught me a few things in my time. I have to get you to my father, but I'm going to need to get the dirt out first, before it digs in any deeper."

"And how do you do that?"

He looked up at me. "I'll need to suck it out."

"I'm sorry. What?"

"I'll need to suck the dirt out of the wound, Bella."

If someone had taken a photograph of me in that moment, my face would have been an absolute picture. My mouth just hung upon as I stared at him, my mind wondering whether I had heard him right. He wanted to… _suck_ the dirt from my wound? Now, I'm no expert on a vampire's feeding habits, but won't he be drinking my blood too? Surely he could not get all that dirt and grime out without tasting just one tiny drop of the red stuff. It was near impossible.

Thing was, it didn't take an expert to know that vampires like blood. They like to drink it, they like to drain it… they like to kill for it.

"When you say suck it out," I began. "You don't mean…"

"I mean I'm going to have to suck out as much dirt as I can. And yes, that means a little blood too," he said as he lifted my leg to his mouth.

"Wait," I cried before he could go any further. "How much blood are you planning to take?" This was my life source he wanted to take, how far was he going to go?

"None, if I can help it," he replied. "But I'll avoid it as much as possible. Then I can take you home to Carlisle to get it seen to properly."

"O-okay," I whispered nervously, biting my lip with all my might. I knew he would try to avoid the blood, but that wasn't my problem. My problem was that, if he took the blood, he wouldn't be able to stop. Edward had always told me how much he loved the scent of my blood, how much it called to him and tortured him, and I sometimes wondered if I could be his singer, just like Alice was Jasper's. I'd never asked him, but the idea had crossed my mind more than once. Either way, what was to stop him drinking more once he'd started?

Noticing my apprehension, he moved from my leg and came to my side, pushing the hair from my face as I began to get hot with anxiety. "Bells, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

"I'm just… nervous," I tried.

"How come? It won't hurt, I promise. It will just take a few seconds and-"

"But what if you don't stop?" I whimpered. He cocked his eyebrow at my words, so I elaborated. "What if the blood tastes so good that you continue to drink? I'm scared that the bloodlust will control you, Edward."

He smiled as he took my hand in his, wrapping his fingers around my trembling skin. "You have to trust me, Bella. This is me, remember? I would never hurt you, you know that. You mean too much to me for me to…" He didn't finish his sentence because we both knew where it was going. It didn't matter that he was marrying blondy, he still loved me. And I still loved him, with all my heart…

And that's why I trusted him. He would never drain me of my blood, not even if his life depended on it. He would torture himself forever if he ever hurt me, so I knew I was in safe hands. I nodded my assent and he moved back down to my leg. And then, lifting it gently to his mouth, he took a breath, pressed his lips to my skin and began to suck.

The feel of his cold lips on my skin was like finally coming home after a long and arduous journey. It felt so perfect and I felt so complete that a content sigh left my lips. It was not where I wanted his lips to be, but I would take what I could get with him. Contact was pretty much impossible for the two of us now, so this was like a gift to me, and I loved it.

I heard his sounds of satisfaction as my blood slid down his throat, his neck bobbing with every swallow. It must have tasted good because he didn't pull away, regardless of the dirt mixed in with my blood. In fact, he was drinking it like a starved man, like he hadn't eaten in days. His eyes were closed and his brows were furrowed together, his grip on my leg tight and strong.

I took deep breaths as I watched him, my eyes transfixed on his form. This was different from the last time I had seen him drink blood. The last time he had done this was when those men attacked me in the woods the day I discovered his secret. He had been so rough with those men, so cruel and forceful, not caring about them at all, his sights focused purely on killing them and saving me. I had never seen anything so dangerous in all my life until that day, and I had been truly terrified of what he was capable of.

But here, with me, taking my blood, he had never held me so delicately or softly in all my life. His body was perfectly controlled, his temper in check, and I felt no danger at all. It was mad to see the two different reactions that Edward could have to drinking blood.

He finally pulled away, taking a deep breath as he did, licking any remaining blood from his lips.

"God, that tasted good," he murmured before he looked up at me, his golden eyes slightly red. "You okay?" I nodded that I was. "I think that's all the dirt. The blood tasted clean, so it should all be gone."

"Thank you," I whispered as I blushed. God, if Tanya could have seen what her fiancée was doing just then. His lips on _my_ skin, drinking _my_ blood. I shouldn't have felt so happy with having him this close to me, despite the fact that I was completely over the moon. He was hers now, not mine. Whether it was to stop infection or not, he should have left the healing to Carlisle. But I knew he had enjoyed that just as much as I had.

"No problem," he smiled as he freed my ankle from the branch and stood up, picking me up with him, cradling me to his chest. I clutched onto his shirt as he made sure I was comfortable in his arms. I knew I was torturing myself by letting him hold me like this, but I just couldn't let go, partly because my ankle would not allow me to walk, but mostly because it felt so good to have him holding me. My subconscious had the biggest and cheesiest grin on her face at having his hands touch me and his arms carry me.

_Bella, 1. Tanya, 0._

Suddenly, I felt his lips kiss my forehead before he took off at a run back to the house. The tingles from his kiss spread all over my body, setting it alight and making me feel the happiest I'd felt in days. I knew that when we got home, he'd be back to playing happy families with Tanya, but for now I was going to enjoy him. After all, when was the next time this could happen?

But one thing continued to play on my mind, constantly niggling away at me and making me think. I wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for that wolf almost attacking me.

What a wolf was doing in Forks, I did not know... but I needed to find out.


	24. Everybody hurts

_Hello!_

_Right, this is a quick update, so it's a short author's note. I just want to quickly say that I've had a banner made for this story, along with all my other stories. It can be found on my profile. I've also begun my newest story 'Heavy In Your Arms' if you want to go check it out._

_This chapter is named after "Everybody hurts" by R.E.M._

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight… but you all knew that._

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

"A wolf?" Jacob questioned.

"Yes," I replied. "A wolf."

"As in, one of those big hairy things with a tail and sharp teeth? Are you sure?"

"Yes," I answered. "Why is the fact that I saw a wolf so damn hard to believe?"

"Well, you don't exactly get them walking around the Washington woods, Bella," he said as he wheeled himself from under the car he was working on. "Are you sure it wasn't just a deer?"

"It was a wolf," I said. "He was big, he was brown and he scared the hell out of me. I can tell the difference between a wolf and a deer."

It was the afternoon after my discovery of the wolf in the woods. Edward had taken me home, Esme had made my lunch, and then Jacob made his visit in the afternoon, deciding to finish his work on Emmett's jeep whilst he was here. I sat there on a chair whilst I spoke to my friend, my leg propped up on a cushion and box. The blood on my leg had been from a cut, which Carlisle had quickly cleaned up. My ankle was twisted, too, the damage caused during my fall. The damage wasn't that bad, it was just a little sore. I couldn't walk very fast and I couldn't put much weight upon my ankle, but I could just about walk, and that's all that mattered. Jacob stood up, wiping the oil from his hands onto an old towel.

He didn't believe me, no one believed me. I even had to question whether Edward had believed me. He said he had, but I was also deeply distressed at the time and in no mood to take his shit. I had a feeling that he agreed with me simply to pacify me and keep me happy.

But I know what I saw, I wasn't an idiot. It was a wolf, and a huge one at that. Jacob was right, wolves didn't exactly go wondering around the woods in this part of the country, but I saw a wolf. There was nothing else it could have been. It was too big to be a deer or a dog, it was the wrong color to be a fox, a wolf was the only answer.

I did have to wonder why I had seen one, though. Why was it here, why now? Was it lost? Had it escaped from the zoo or something? Was it someone's illegal pet which had decided to take a stroll in the woods? Either way, I had seen a wolf, and I wanted to know why.

"I know you can tell the difference, Bella," Jacob said as he ran his now clean hands through his hair. "But what the hell would a wolf be doing wondering through Forks?"

"That's what I want to find out," I told him. "I want to go back into the woods and find it."

"But what will that achieve? It can't exactly speak to you and tell you where it came from," Jake argued with a chuckle.

"No, but there might be some kind of clue as to where it came from. A tag or a collar. We might even be able to follow some footprints."

Jacob sighed. "Bells, I don't want to build your hopes up, but that's never going to happen. How do you even know the wolf is still there? It may have left. If it has escaped, that means it's being hunted. Therefore, the wolf will keep moving in order to avoid detection. It's probably miles away by now. I think it's best to just forget about it and move on."

Jacob was right, of course he was right… but I just couldn't do that. It wasn't just the fact that the mysterious wolf was there in the first place, it was the fact that the wolf didn't hurt me that confused me the most. His teeth were sharp, his mouth was salivating, and he clearly looked hungry. But instead of hurting me, it just stood there, only taking gentle steps. Why?

"But I have to know, Jake," I said.

"Know what?"

"Why it didn't hurt me. It didn't even attempt to. I want to know why."

I was getting quite annoyed by this whole situation. I just wanted answers and for someone to believe me. Was this whole situation as crazy as people thought it was?

Jacob smiled then as he came to sit next to me. "It probably didn't hurt you because it saw an injured girl with no protection and didn't want to injure her further."

"But wolves are predators," I explained. "The fact that I was injured would have been a bonus. That way it wouldn't have to hurt me itself in order to eat me."

"True, but if I were a wolf, I wouldn't hurt you."

I looked at him. "You wouldn't?"

"Nope."

"How come?"

"Because you're Bella and you're wonderful and I'd want to help you in anyway I could."

I giggled at that, my annoyance dissipating. He always knew how to cheer me up and calm me down. I wrapped my arms around Jacob's waist and hugged him tightly. "I'd do the same to you if I were a wolf."

"Exactly," Jake smiled as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "That wolf probably thought in the same way I would. How can anyone hurt you?"

At his words, my mind flitted back to the pain and the hurt Edward had brought me over the past few days, but I wiped it from my mind just as quickly. Jake and I were having a nice moment. I didn't want to ruin it by focusing on the depressing aspects of my life.

But as much depression as Edward had caused me, yesterday was like a total u-turn for us. I hadn't expected him to be in the woods, especially considering that he was supposed to be entertaining his fiancé and her family. But he had been, and he had showed up at the perfect time. Yet when we were together, speaking and touching, it was like we had fallen back into old times. We were Edward and Bella again, laughing and giggling, his hands holding me and his voice soothing me.

Then we had to go home and that blond bitch had to make an appearance.

And as quickly as that, we had become strangers again, Edward running off to Tanya and me being left alone. Thank god I had Jake to lean on.

"Edward hurt me," I blurted out before I could stop myself, my mouth voicing my thoughts. It was stupid of me really. I had forced myself to ignore those memories, but with Jake by me, being so sweet and supportive, I knew I had to face up to my problems.

Jacob tensed up as his grip on me subconsciously tightened. I bit my lip, instantly regretting my words.

"I know he did," he managed to get out.

"Lets talk about something else," I tried in an attempt to change the subject. "How long have you been working on Emmett's jeep?"

"I can't believe what he did to you," he continued, completely ignoring me. "How could he even do that?"

"It was his duty," I explained. "He had no other choice."

"Fuck duty," he seethed. "It should be about you, not about his duty. He should never have hurt you like that. If he truly loved you, he never would have done all this."

"Please, stop," I begged, his words upsetting me because they made sense. If Edward did love me, he wouldn't hurt me like this. But he did love me, didn't he? He had promised me that no matter what happened, he'd always love me. But can he really love me after hurting me the way he had?

"Sorry," Jake apologized. "It just gets me so mad sometimes. I'd never treat you like that, Bella. If you need me, I'm here anytime."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Even if I want to call you at say… 3 in the morning?" I asked.

"Anytime you need me," he reassured me.

"Thanks, Jacob," I said, burying my face in his shoulder and hugging him again.

I relaxed as I felt him kiss the top of my head, his protective nature keeping me calm and well looked after. I don't know what I would have done without Jacob by my side. Sure, I had Alice, but she was far too young to fully understand the relationship problems I was going through. I had my sister, Heidi, but there was very little she could really do for me whilst I was in Forks and she was in Phoenix. The only other females I had left were Esme and Rose, but with the Denali's here, they didn't really have time to entertain guests and listen to my problems at the same time.

So Jacob was all I had… and I'd be nothing without him. I'd have just sat in my room, deteriorating away, feeling sorry for myself. This whole Edward situation had messed me up pretty bad, and the huge hole in my chest that he had left would never truly heal. But with Jake, at least the hole felt covered up.

A knock from the garage door brought Jake and I back to reality. A small gasp left my lips as I looked towards the noise. There, standing in the doorway, his eyes practically on fire, stood Edward. He was staring at me, his gaze never breaking. I swallowed, subconsciously escaping Jacob's hug and standing up.

"What?" Jacob asked Edward, annoyed by the disruption. I could still sense the venom in his voice from our previous conversation.

"Esme and Alice want a lift into town," Edward said, his eyes never leaving me. I shifted my weight, my body slightly uncomfortable under his watchful glare. I'd give a million dollars to know what was going through the vampire's head right then.

Jacob sighed and stood up, knowing he had a job to do. He wasn't technically at work, but if the Cullens wanted a ride, Jake would have to give it. "They ready to go now?"

"Ready when you are," Edward answered.

"Fine," Jake said. "I'll get the car." He turned to me. "Catch you later, Bells. Remember what I told you, I'm here anytime." Then he hugged me, gripping me so tightly that I could barely breathe.

"Thanks, Jake," I replied as he let me go. He grabbed a set of keys before getting into Edward's Volvo and backing out the garage. I knew how protective Edward was of the Volvo, so I had to wonder whether he had taken that particular car on purpose, just to annoy the vampire. I couldn't tell because Edward's face had not changed since the moment he entered the garage.

No sooner was Jake out of sight that I decided to leave and head back to the house myself. I didn't need to hear Edward talking about _her_ and the wedding. I wanted no part of it, so walking as quickly as my ankle would allow, I began to leave. An arm grabbing me stopped me in my tracks. A heavy silence hung between us before he decided to speak.

"You and Jacob?" he questioned, his tone clearly unhappy.

"What of it?" I replied. Jacob was my friend, nothing wrong with that.

"Don't play dumb, Bella. You know what I mean."

"But I don't," I smiled innocently, enjoying this far too much. Edward had hurt me, I was allowed my chance to upset him, wasn't I? And trust me, after what I had been through, I was ridiculously ready to upset him. Jacob was here to support me because he couldn't. He had no right to question me over our relationship.

_How dare he!_

"Why are you spending so much time around him?" he questioned, pulling me closer, flush against his body, his breath fanning delightfully against my face.

"What's it to you?" I asked, gritting my teeth and trying to pull away. "This is between Jake and I. It's nothing to do with you."

"Anything involving you is to do with me," he argued, pulling me even closer, until our noses were practically touching.

"Why? Because I'm your girlfriend?" I laughed. "No, Edward, you ruined that when_ she _walked into that house. You have no say over me now."

"So you run to Jacob?" he asked. "Hang around him, spend all your time with him, embrace him in front of me, all to make me jealous?"

_Ah, so that explains the deathly glare we got._

"Seems to be working though, doesn't it?" I teased. "I'm jealous of her, you're jealous of him, now we're even."

"I don't want him around you," he said.

"Yet you can flaunt Tanya in my face? I don't think so, Edward. At least he's there for me. I need him, so I'm keeping him, and there's fuck all you can do about it," I seethed, but the second his eyes went black, I knew I'd gone too far.

Way to far.

In a split second, he had me pressed up against the wall, his whole body flushed with mine, his lips attacking my own with such a strength that I thought I might faint. His tongue pushed right through my lips without permission, massaging my own just like I remembered. The kisses weren't soft and loving, they were rough and sloppy and needy, like days of built up tension being broken and released. I was surprised by the sudden turn of events, but I quickly settled down.

His hands were everywhere… my stomach… my thighs… my neck… my ass… my cheeks… my breasts… my hair, each touch and each caress allowing him to claim me.

And god damn it if I didn't kiss him back. I didn't want to, it made me seem weak and pathetic. I wanted to hurt him and damage him like he had done me, but I loved him too much to do that. The second his lips touched mine, I was a goner.

I moaned as he kissed me, letting him know I was enjoying his attentions, urging him on further. He grabbed the back of my head and deepened the kiss further, pulling himself even closer. My whole body was on fire, all of my senses on high alert as this man showed me his true feelings. I'd never experienced Edward like this before. He was so… primal.

He was the predator and I was the prey.

He finally pulled away as I struggled to catch my breath, leaning his forehead on mine, his chest heaving.

I wasn't sure what had just happened, but I had never experienced anything like that before. His hands never left my body, his fingers constantly roaming wherever they could. And I wouldn't stop them, I couldn't.

"Does Jacob do that to you?" he growled.

"No," I whispered, feeling slightly dazed and light.

"Does he hold you like that? Does he touch you and caress you like I do?"

"No."

"Good… because nobody fucking touches _my_ girl."

And that's when it all changed, that's when I was suddenly brought back to reality. His words slammed right into me, making me see the truth. His words made no sense… because I wasn't with him anymore. He had Tanya, and no matter how we felt about each other, he could never have me again and I could never have him.

"But I'm not your girl, am I?" I said, pulling out of his hold and moving away from him, the tears building in my eyes. "Tanya is."

And with that I left the garage and I left Edward standing there, running back up to the house.

My plan to torture him had completely backfired, because the person who had been hurt the most was me. He'd always have Tanya to run back to, but I was alone once again, the pressure of his lips still tingling along my skin, reminding of what I could never have…


	25. Fight for this love

_Hello_

_A huge thanks to mixmatched9, pac1025, hippigirl88, Kris x33, mommymac0508, BookAHolic965, Amber Talamasca, teamedwardtwilightfan, WeFallForever and sujari6 for their reviews. Thank you!_

_Onto the next chapter. I think you'll all like this one. This story is on the up! This chapter is a little short, but it finishes in a good place ready for the next one. The next one is going to be pretty important. *wiggles eyebrows*_

_This chapter is named after "Fight For This Love" by Cheryl Cole. She's pretty big over here in the UK, and I really like her music. Go check her out. _

_Disclaimer: It ain't mine!_

* * *

Edward Cullen's Point of View

No more. No fucking more.

I couldn't take this any longer, it was driving me mad, it was driving me utterly insane. It was like this whole thing was eating me from the inside out, consuming me and torturing me in the worst possible way. I was going out of my goddamn head here and I was done with it all.

I needed her back, I needed my Bella back in my life, whether it killed me or not.

Fuck doing my duty, fuck the Volturi, fuck the Denali's, fuck Tanya. None of them meant anything to me, not if I couldn't have Bella by my side and in my arms. It wasn't worth it, none of it was. I'd happily take the Volturi backlash of saying no to this whole marriage thing then have to live another day without Bella.

Each look in her face, each sigh that left her lips, each tear that slipped from her eyes… I knew they were all for me, I knew she was feeling how I did, and if I had the ability, I would cry too.

I missed her so fucking much. I just wanted her in my arms again. I wanted to hold her and touch her and please her in any way that I possibly could. I'd always said that Bella was like an angel or a princess, and she deserved to be treated like one. She shouldn't be treated like some pathetic ex who I had finished with and discarded. She was so much more than that.

Everyday was like some new form of torture. She'd walk past me and give me a sympathetic smile… She'd leave a room and the scent of her blood would linger… She'd let out the tiniest giggle at something Emmett had said, and I'd wish to God that it had been me to create that beautiful sound.

I loved Bella; I loved her more than words could possibly explain. She wasn't just my girlfriend, she was my lover, my partner, my life, my mate. She was the one I had chosen as my life partner, the one I had planned to spend eternity with. Her, nobody else. So why couldn't I fucking have her?

Why had the Volturi chosen me? Why? Something wasn't quite clicking here. They were old friends of Carlisle, he had once been a part of their circle long before I was turned. He was a close acquaintance, too, someone that the Volturi looked favorably on, as well as any of Carlisle's friends or family. I was in that category, so why had they decided to completely ruin my life now?

What could they possibly gain from marrying me off to Tanya Denali?

Yes, it was true that the Denali's were a very popular and famous vampire clan, and Aro particularly liked them, but why did I have to marry one of them? Surely Aro could get nothing from such a connection. I wondered why all of this had been organized in the first place.

Still didn't get me any closer to my girl, though, did it?

She was still out of reach; she was still not mine. No, I had Tanya now. Great!

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Tanya Denali. She's pretty, sweet, kind, funny. She's a good person and, under different circumstances, I may have been attracted to her. But I had seen Bella first, and from that moment I had wanted no other.

Seeing her was like the world coming together, like life suddenly making sense, it was like everything became… right. I'd never felt a pull so strong in all of my life and I knew Bella was the one I'd always want. No offense to Tanya, but Bella was the one who owned my heart and soul, and they'd never belong to another until the day I chose to die and leave this world.

It just pissed me off that Bella and I would never be able to show this to the world. We'd never be together and we'd never be able to be the couple that we once were. We were two separate entities now, merely two people living in the same house until one decided enough was enough and they'd leave. It was complete torture.

It wasn't just myself who was a victim in this whole thing, Bella was more of one than I was. Even though this was my duty, Bella was affected, too. At least I had Tanya to fall back on. Bella was all alone.

But she wasn't alone, was she? No. She'd found someone to take my place, and I'd be damned if I was going to let him fight his way into my Bella's heart.

At first, I was glad for Jacob's interest in her. He was providing her with company and a friendship that I couldn't. He was there for her, he made her smile, he cheered her up and he could be the shoulder for her to cry on when I wasn't there. He was being her friend and that was what she needed. With Jacob, Bella wasn't alone any more.

Then I got into his thoughts.

His thoughts of Bella were far from innocent, and far from what a friend should be thinking. The little bastard loved her, and even though I couldn't blame him, he could go to hell before I let him get his hands on my girl. The way he looked at her, the way he spoke to her, the way he mindlessly flirted with her, I wanted to pummel the bastard's face in. Bella, of course, was completely blind to it all. She was far too innocent and sweet to pick up on his behavior, and I thanked God for that.

With me gone, who knew what she could be feeling.

But Bella didn't feel anything but friendship for him; at least that was the impression she gave. She saw him and treated him as a best friend. I couldn't read her mind, but I knew Bella well enough to read her body language. She saw Jacob as her best friend, nothing more, nothing less. So even though he was in love with her, she was not in love with him…

Their embrace in the garage was the last fucking straw.

To see him holding her and her holding him made my blood reach boiling point. I was one step from ripping his fucking head off, but only seeing Bella attached to him stopped me. If I hurt her in my rage to destroy Jacob Black, then I'd never forgive myself. Instead, I took deep breaths and calmed myself down, finally doing the task at hand. He finally let her go to get on with his work, and I could at last be alone with Bella and ask her what the hell was really going on.

I flipped when she started mouthing of at me for moaning about Jacob. Me! The man who loved her with the whole of his un-beating heart, the man who would die for her if I had to, the man who she supposedly loved back.

So I decided to remind her of that.

The feel of her lips upon mine again was like heaven on earth. It was like every bad thing that had occurred between us was suddenly fixed with that one single touch. We fell back into old times, my hands covering her body when she finally kissed me back.

But I wasn't gentle, oh no. I wanted her to know who her heart belonged to, I wanted to remind her that Jacob Black had no claim what-so-ever on her. She was mine and mine alone, just like I was hers. And her words afterwards told me that she knew that.

Then I fucked it all up.

And from the moment she left me, standing in that garage, watching her glorious form get further and further away from me, my words rang in my head. She was mine, and I was hers… and there was nothing anyone could do about that.

I had to do it, I had to be hers again. I had to show her that I wanted no one but her and her alone. So, to hell with this marriage. Only one thing mattered in my life, and that one thing was Isabella Marie Swan.

So that was what I was doing right now, I was marching into the house, I was searching for Tanya, and I was going to tell her that the whole thing was off. No more marriage, no more pretend love, and no more Aro telling me who I could and couldn't be with. I knew who I wanted to be with, and I'd be damned if he was going to stop me.

I found Tanya in my room, painting her nails, humming softly to herself. She looked up and smiled when she saw me, her smile quickly vanishing when she saw the set and determined look on my face. She closed her bottle of nail varnish and looked back to me.

"You going to tell me what's wrong?" she asked as she folded her arms.

I ran my hand nervously through my bronze and tousled hair. I knew this would not be easy. I really liked Tanya. None of this was her fault and I knew she was a good and decent person. My decision would affect her as well as me. I knew I'd get the complete blame for calling all this off, but it wouldn't exactly boost Tanya's confidence either. Whether you love them or not, no one wants to get dumped by their fiancé.

But I had to tell her. It was what I wanted. I needed my life back, so I had to voice my worries and tell her what I was going to do.

"I'm calling it off," I mumbled, but I knew she'd heard me.

"Calling what off?" she enquired. She wasn't stupid, she knew exactly what I was talking about. There was only one possible subject that I could be talking about here.

"The marriage, the wedding, everything," I said, standing stock still as I allowed her to take this information in. "I'm done with it."

She was silent for a while as my words registered in her head. They were pretty big and important words, so I wasn't at all surprised by how long she chewed over them. Her face contorted many times, showing practically every emotion possible known to man. At first she was surprised, but that quickly contorted to anger. Then she changed to confusion, realization, and finally, she settled on acceptance.

She had no choice but to accept what I was saying, because I wouldn't change my mind for the world.

She bit her lip before finally letting out a sigh.

"It's because of the human, isn't it?" she questioned.

I had to admit, I was quite surprised by what she said. I expected fireworks, I expected screaming and shouting and fighting. What I did not expect was Tanya to go straight to the source of our break up.

"How'd you guess?" I questioned, finally feeling confident and safe enough to approach her and seat myself next to her on my bed. She shuffled over to allow me room.

"Because I'd be an idiot not to," she answered.

"I'm not following," I said, my eyebrows furrowed.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Even a blind man could see how in love you are with her, Edward. You watch her constantly, and you try your hardest to be near her all the time. When you're with her, you're different, like there's a spring in your step and you come alive. There's a glint in your eye that only appears when you see Bella. And when you're not with her, there's a longing in you that yearns to be by her side. You haven't been yourself since I got here because you are always after her."

"Oh," I said, dropping my head for a moment. I quickly lifted my eyes to look back at her. "Was I that obvious?"

"You could have the words 'I love Bella' tattooed onto your forehead and you couldn't be more obvious," Tanya giggled. I was just thankful that she was taking this so well.

"But… what about Aro?" I questioned.

"He's gonna be pretty pissed," she admitted. "And as much as I like you, I am taking no blame for this whole breakup. I don't know why he organized this whole thing in the first place, and I'm taking no blame for ending it. But you can't help who you love. I know it's hurting you to be away from Bella. I feel the same about Garrett."

Ah, Garrett, Tanya's secret love. She had been lusting after him for decades now. Garrett was a nomad who had lived with the Denali's for a few years in the 1960s. He still visited them, but Tanya had always held a torch for the guy. They had dated a few times, but nothing had ever been made official. Still, this whole marriage thing must have been a strain on them and whatever their relationship was.

"I can't believe you're being so understanding," I said, letting out a single chuckle.

"I know what you're going through," she said. "And even though I'm very fond of you, I've never been in love with you, Edward. We are good friends, always have been, so the idea of marrying you was never something that scared the hell out of me. I knew I'd have a good husband. But even though my head was in it, my heart wasn't."

"Mine neither," I commented. And it was true. How could I marry Tanya when my heart was always with Bella? This whole marriage was doomed from the start. "I'm just glad that we can end this whole thing on good terms."

She smiled and took my hand in hers. "You are a good person, Edward, and an even better friend. You need to be with Bella, you will only ever be yourself again if you have her. But, like I said, Aro's gonna be pissed."

"I know," I sighed, slipping my hand from hers and running it though my hair again. "And I totally understand that you want nothing to do with it. I'd never place the blame on you, anyway."

She grinned. "I know you wouldn't, and I'm eternally grateful to you for that. So, go be with her, Edward. It's obvious to see that she needs you just as much as you need her. You're not the only one whose been moping around these past few days."

I laughed before I leaned forward and kissed her cheek. She stood up. "Thanks, Tanya, for everything."

"No problem," she said with a wink. She gave me one last wave before she left my bedroom.

If I was honest with myself, I was just as grateful to Tanya as she was to me. I wasn't expecting the warm reception I received when I told her it was over. I seriously expected my head to have been removed from my body as she screamed at me and burnt the pieces. Her blessing and her co-operation was the last thing I expected. But I had received it. She was allowing me to be with my Bella, she was giving me my life back.

Yeah, I was pretty fucking grateful.

"What's up with you?" came Rosalie's voice, breaking me from my happy musings. She was standing in my doorway, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

The happy and satisfied grin refused to leave my lips. "I just got my life back," I said.

"Huh?" she asked, a confused expression on her face.

"I broke up with Tanya," I beamed. "I'm going to be with Bella again."

"You did what?" she exclaimed. "Edward, the Volturi are gonna flip when they hear this."

"Fuck the Volturi," I said, standing up and running towards my wardrobe. "Only Bella matters to me, so she comes first every time. I'm finally going to be with her again." I began sifting through my clothes.

"You're insane, you know that?" she said, but I could see a slither of a smile on her face.

"Course I am," I laughed. "When it comes to Bella, everything I do is insane. So I'm going to get myself ready and tell her the good news."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "I just hope you know what you're doing. Good luck, Romeo," she said before she walked away.

I ignored her snarky comments. I didn't care, I was finally getting my girl back and nothing could stop the happy feeling from leaving my body. I'd deal with Aro when the time came. It wasn't going to be easy to convince him to let me be with her instead on Tanya, but our love was worth fighting for, and I was willing to do just that.

I decided to pick out an outfit, have a shower, get dressed and make myself look worthy and presentable before I went to find Bella.

This was actually happening. I was a free man. I was getting my girl back.

_I was getting my girl back…_


	26. My love

_Hello!_

_A huge thanks to Cina's, mixmatched9, sujari6, mommymac0508, MoreRandomThanYouWouldBelieve, janjan2009, WeFallForever and sammy for their reviews._

_So, if you liked the last chapter, than you should love this one. I've never written like this before, so this is my very first lemon. Hate it or love it, leave some feedback. You'll probably think it's bloody awful, but there you go! But since it's my first, please be gentle! I just hope I've done it justice and you like it._

_Enjoy!_

_This chapter is named after "My love" by Sia. I freakin love this song, like majorly so. It's probably one of my most favorite songs ever._

_Disclaimer: Not that you didn't all know this, but I don't own Twilight._

* * *

Bella Swan's Point of View

Whenever I had been down or upset or depressed in my life, my first option for help had always been to seek out one of my sisters and have them comfort me and love me in the hope that at least some of my sadness would disappear. Usually, it did. It was like my sisters had a magic touch or could cast a magic spell, but with just one comforting word to me, all my depression would be gone, and I'd be my happy and joyful self again.

I didn't have my sisters in Forks.

Whilst I was glad for them in their brand new apartment in Phoenix which Edward had kindly brought them, I wished they were here with me in rainy old Forks, even just for a moment, simply to comfort me like the always had.

But they couldn't, and like the brave woman I was, I had accepted this fact. So I'd gone to the next best thing - books.

Books had always helped me throughout my life. Whether they were an escape, for enjoyment or merely a way to occupy myself, books were the one thing that had always been there for me. I felt I could do anything when I read a book. I would be taken to a brand new land or place full of brand new characters and brand new events. They were the perfect distraction, the perfect way for me to forget all my troubles.

So I had taken up residence in the Cullen's library, curled up on the sofa with a good book.

With books, I didn't have to reflect on the realities of my own life… and at that moment, I wanted to escape my own life more than anything.

To say my life was a train wreck was a bit of an understatement. You couldn't write this stuff! After everything I had been though, after everything I had experienced these past few weeks - the Cullen secret, James, Charlie's death, loving Edward, losing Edward - it was a miracle that I wasn't locked up in a mental hospital to wither away.

I had been through some absolute shit these past few weeks… but losing_ him_ was the worst.

Saying goodbye to the man you love, then seeing him with another woman everyday was enough to send a person insane, and I certainly felt it. Sure, Jacob had eased some of the pain, and he had been so wonderful with me, but the pain was still there, eating away at me bit by bit.

Jacob had been a fantastic distraction, but Edward would always be there, finding some new and inventive way to torture and hurt me. I knew he didn't mean to make me feel this way, but I did. I hurt, I was in pain... and Edward didn't wholly seem to care.

That was until he snapped.

That kiss… Oh, that kiss. Edward Cullen could rule the entire world with that kiss. That kiss was better than every other kiss he had given me combined. So many emotions ran through him as his lips pressed into mine - love, anger, passion, fury - it had all been there. He'd never kissed my like that before. All his other kisses had been loving and romantic and sweet, a way to tell me that he adored and cared for me. But this one had been about possession. I felt as if he was claiming me in that kiss, declaring me as his, saying I belonged to no one else but him.

And I felt that way… until Tanya's face entered my mind.

No, I wasn't his, was I? He'd made sure of that my agreeing to Aro's demands. Tanya Denali was his girl now, not Isabella Swan.

And then I had to leave, I had to walk away before the tears showed themselves again. I had to go before I could show weakness infront of the man who had made me weak in the first place. I ran to the library where I was now, using books as my only means of escape. Edward Cullen was no longer mine, and he never would be again.

And because of this, my heart broke just a little more each and every day I was away from him…

But I knew what I had to do now, and I knew I wouldn't be the only person hurt by my decision. Yet, how could I live so close to him yet not be able to have him? How could I walk around and see him with another woman every day? How could I live around him and know that I could never love him again? It was all too much to handle, it was too much for my heart to bear.

I had tried to live without him… and I'd failed. Yes, I had been distracted by Jacob, and he would always be my best friend and a person I'd be eternally grateful to. But he could never replace Edward. No one could. I couldn't take this anymore, so my decision was made…

I had to leave this place. I needed to go home, back to Phoenix.

I couldn't be here anymore, not if I couldn't have him. I refused to let myself become any more broken than I already was. Being near him was like some sort of masochistic torture. I knew it hurt to see him with his new fiancée, but I couldn't be away from him. I knew this. But I had to be strong. I had to stop thinking about him and think about myself for once. He had Tanya, I had no one. He was out of reach now, and I had to accept that.

And the only way to get over Edward was to be as far away from him as possible.

I wiped my newly fallen tears away as I put my book down on the library sofa and stood up. I wasn't sure what Esme would say, and I knew Alice would be upset, but I couldn't go through this anymore. It was killing me. I needed to get away.

Movement from the doorway caught my eye.

"Rosalie?" I questioned as I saw the female vampire standing there. She was leaning against the doorway, her arms folded and her face rather happy. Her eyes were sparkling… Something had happened. "Rosalie, what is it? Tell me."

"Things are looking up for you, Bella," she replied, her smile growing bigger and bigger. "About time, huh?"

My eyebrows furrowed. "Rosalie, you aren't making sense," I insisted, approaching her and pushing her for a more understandable answer.

"He's left her," she stated. "She's gone, he said goodbye and she's taken the next ride home. You've got your man back."

I froze.

My eyes widened.

My breathing stopped.

... What?

"But… how can… what about…" I couldn't get my words out no matter how much I tried. There weren't words to possibly describe this.

How can he leave her? How? What about the Volturi and his duty? What about Aro and the marriage? Was he fucking insane? None of us liked this arrangement, but it wasn't ours to make. This was something he'd been ordered to do, not by choice but by force. Edward can't have left her; he could never defy the Volturi.

But Rosalie's face, the glee in her voice, the serious nature of her tone. Surely she couldn't be telling the truth…

"You're lying," I said, my fingers gently shaking in anticipation at my side. "You have to be."

"Why would I lie?" she grinned. "Tanya's gone, he's left her. The Denali's are already on the way home, Bella. Edward's a free man again."

I gasped.

He was… free.

"W-Where is he?" I stammered.

"He's in his room," she stated before I literally sprinted past her.

I pushed my legs as hard as I humanly could as I raced to Edward's room. She couldn't be telling the truth. Does Edward not know what the Volturi will do if he says no to all of this? They would _kill _him. They would destroy him. From what I'd been told, defying the Volturi was like breaking the law. Saying no would mean punishment. Was he fucking insane?

Movement from a window in the hallway caught my eye, so I ran to it.

Oh good lord… Rosalie was right. Below me I could see the Denali's packing suitcases into their car, hugging Esme and Carlisle goodbye. They were leaving… They were saying goodbye… Edward was free…

"Oh god…" I whispered to myself, my heart thumping rapidly in my chest. He'd actually done it. He'd left her, he'd said no.

I bolted to Edward's room, banging with a heavy fist on his door when I reached it. I thumped as hard as I could on the wooden barrier between the two of us. The evidence was all there, but I needed to hear the truth from him. I had to, there was no other way to be sure. The door finally opened and there he stood in the doorway, his eyes widening when he saw me.

"Bella," he said, his voice somewhat laced with surprise. I knew he couldn't have been expecting me, at least not yet.

"Is it true?" I asked. "Please, I need to hear it from you. Is it?"

"Is what true?"

"You know what. Please, tell me," I begged, tears threatening to spill.

He was silent for a brief moment before my favorite crooked grin appeared on his lips. "Yes, Love. It's true."

I just stood there as I processed his words. It was one thing hearing this from Rosalie, and it was another to see Tanya leaving the house, but to actually hear those words leave Edward's mouth was all I needed…

I practically leapt into his arms, attaching my mouth to his instantly, putting every ounce of passion and love that I had for him into that kiss. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into the room and kicking his bedroom door closed. The kiss became more urgent as my tongue pushed passed his lips, tangling with his own. God, he tasted good. Like cinnamon and Edward, the perfect combination.

He groaned as he left my lips and trailed his own across my neck, his hands running up and down my body, teasing me against my stomach.

"You're an idiot, do you know that?" I said as I struggled for breath. With each little kiss and nibble Edward pressed against my skin, breathing got just a little harder. "You said no… Aro will kill you. What you've done is stupid."

"No," he growled against my neck as his hands slipped under my shirt and grasped my bra-clad breasts. I gasped at the pressure, the noise quickly turning into a groan as he pushed the material aside and massaged my bare skin. "The only thing I'm stupid of is not being with you. I'm stupid for choosing the Volturi over my singer, and I'll never do that again."

At his sudden admission, I pulled away from his body and looked into his eyes.

"I'm… your singer?" I questioned.

Okay, so this information was a little new! Surely he couldn't mean his actual singer, he must have made some form of mistake.

He brushed the loose strands of hair from my forehead. "Yes," he replied with a satisfied smile. "You, Isabella Swan, are my singer."

And then it clicked, almost like magic. Of course I was his singer! That connection we had, those pent up feelings that threatened to burst from me, that pull I always felt towards him. When I looked back on it, it was so obvious. We were just like Alice and Jasper - never one without the other, our movements and minds always in sync, a constant need to be with each other and near each other.

Yes… I was Edward Cullen's singer.

"So, I'm your singer?" I asked again.

"Yes," he chuckled.

"And Tanya's gone?"

"Yes."

"And there's no arranged marriage?"

"Nope."

"And… you love me?"

He rested his forehead on mine. "More than you will ever know."

I smiled. "Then that's good enough for me," I whispered as I attached my lips to his again. Our tongues tangled immediately, touching and caressing in the sweetest way. I groaned when his hand slowly snaked back under my shirt and cupped my breast in his hand, holding and stroking in the most amazing way, something that only Edward could do to me.

He picked me up, our kiss never breaking and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he led me slowly to his bed. He placed me down carefully and crawled up my body as I lay back, my head settling into the pillows. His hands left my breasts and grabbed the bottom of my shirt, my body quickly lifting itself as he removed it from my body, casting it across his bedroom floor. My bra quickly followed, leaving me bare before my vampire. I should have felt nervous and embarrassed, but with how Edward was looking at me, my nerves disappeared completely.

"So beautiful," he whispered before lowering his head and attaching his mouth to my left breast. I gasped at the sudden sensation of having his mouth on my skin. My eyes closed by themself, my mind committing each movement he made to memory. His free hand held my free breast, his body leaving none of mine uncovered. He lapped at my nipple, my mind going into overdrive, the tightly wound coil in my stomach tightening just a little more. I'd never felt anything like this before, never. God, I loved him.

I grabbed his face and brought it back up to my own, stripping him of his shirt and kissing him with every ounce of passion that my body could muster. His lips fitted mine so perfectly and, as cheesy as it sounded, it was like we were made for each other, like my soul purpose in life had been to meet this wonderful creature. I now knew what it was like to be a singer, I fully understood my connection to him as a soul mate.

My arms wrapped themselves around his neck as his hands lowered and snapped the button of my jeans open, pulling them down my legs. I kicked them off, the denim falling to the floor with a thump. My legs fell open as his body settled and fitted into mine.

"I love you," I breathed as he moved his lips to my neck, kissing me and nibbling me, his mouth ironically hovering over my pulse. I didn't feel scared, not one bit.

"I want this," he mumbled, referring to my blood, the liquid pumping heavily through my veins, "so much. But I will never take it. I may want it, but I will never need it. The only thing I need is you, my Bella. I love you. Forever."

He kissed my lips again, my hands removing his belt and finally his pants and underwear. He was completely naked before me, and I could not have been any more happier or content or excited. This was all so perfect, so memorable, so... us. I knew my panties were soaked and I knew that I wanted the coil in my stomach to become undone. I had never wanted anyone before as much as I wanted him in this moment.

This was what I needed. I needed him… and I needed him to take me.

I kicked my own underwear off until we were both bare, both ready. His eyes connected with mine, love, adoration, and pure lust swimming in his now black orbs.

"Are… are you sure, Love?" he asked me with concern. "I wanted your first time to be special and romantic and perfect."

I ran my fingers tenderly across his cheeks. "This is special, Edward. And nothing can be more perfect than how we are now. I almost lost you, I can't bear to be a single second away from you, anymore. I want you, Edward. Please."

"Bella," he whispered as he lined his body up with mine, his tip just outside my opening. "Once I start, I won't be able to stop. I want you so much. I need you so badly."

"Then take me," I whispered in his ear. "I'm yours."

So he did.

There was no need for foreplay, we'd waited too long to go through all that. At the sound of my words, he pushed into me, our two bodies finally connecting after a lifetime of waiting, my heart and soul finally feeling complete. We both groaned at the contact, a burst of pain shooting through me as my virginity was finally broken. I cried out and Edward stilled inside me, softly kissing my face and whsipering apologies, easing me until the pain subsided.

When I was finally ready, I connected my lips to his, giving him the go-ahead to continue. He started off gently first, allowing my body to get used to his size. He pulled almost all the way out before gently pushing in again, the pain lessening more and more each time he entered me, until I could no longer feel it. All I could feel was absolute pleasure and utter love.

I wrapped my arms around his body, pulling him closer, allowing him to push in deeper, our moans getting louder. He pulled his lips from mine, words leaving his mouth with each and every thrust he took…

"I love you, so much…"

"How could I have ever let you go…"

"I'm nothing without you, Love. I need you…"

"So beautiful, so perfect…"

"My Bella…"

With each thrust, our breathing got heavier and the coil wound even tighter. I could feel the pressure building in my stomach, dying to be let loose.

"Edward, more…" I gasped. He grabbed my leg and latched it around his hip, allowing him to go deeper. This worked perfectly, our moans and cries becoming louder and louder. My breathing became laboured the more we moved. Why had I waited this long to be this intimate with him? Why had it taken the two of us almost being ripped apart before we could become this close? Never again. I'd practically live in this bed if it meant Edward and I would never part again. He was mine forever now, and I was his, and no one would stop this. Not the Volturi, not Aro, not anyone.

His thrusts became rougher and I knew he was almost as breaking point. But I wanted our first time to be special. I wanted us to come together. I was ready and so was he.

"Come with me, Edward… please."

"So close," he groaned with each push. "So good."

"Edward, please... I'm coming..."

"Bella."

With one last thrust, the coil burst, my voice crying out as my orgasm hit me. I felt Edward spill into me as he cried too, his movements slowing until we were both spent. Edward's body collapsed onto me as his head fell onto my chest, my arms wrapping around him and stroking his hair. We weren't silent and still for a while as we both sruggled to catch our breaths. He kissed the top of my breast before kissing the side of my throat, nuzzling his face into my neck.

"I love you, so much," he whispered.

I rested my head on top of his. "I love you too," I replied.

And I did…


End file.
